Brookhaven Police Chief Gary Yandura has been awarded the NAMI Georgia Law Enforcement Leadership Award.

The award is presented to law enforcement agency executives who have promoted Crisis Intervention Teams. The CIT program was developed to educate law enforcement officials about the challenges presented by individuals living with mental illness.

“Having a brain disorder is not a crime and certain infractions such as traffic violations, loitering, and even disorderly conduct may be a manifestation of a person’s illness or failure to receive proper treatment for the illness, rather than the result of intentional wrongdoing,” said Chief Yandura in a city press release.

Yandura is on the NAMI Georgia board of directors.