Santa Clara Officer Recognized for Crisis Intervention

On April 2, Santa Clara Police Officer Samuel Miceli was recognized at the County Board of Supervisors meeting. Officer Miceli received the Santa Clara Police Department’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Officer of the Year Award for two separate acts in which he facilitated peaceful outcomes to two dangerous situations. On July 29, 2017, he responded to a request for emergency assistance from an ambulance. A patient had slipped his restraints and armed himself with an oxygen tank in the back of the ambulance. Officer Miceli engaged in de-escalation dialogue with the patient and gained rapport. The patient stated he wanted to end in “suicide by cop”. Officer Miceli’s patience and effective communication assured the patient that he did not need to die. Officer Miceli was eventually able to convince the patient to peacefully surrender. On October 9, 2017, Officer Miceli responded to the report of a male on a freeway overpass contemplating suicide. Officer Miceli used his CIT training to gain his trust and compliance. The man eventually moved from the freeway side of the wall and was safely taken into custody and transported to Emergency Psychiatric Services.