The church, the Olympia Downtown Association and the Olympia Police Department should be commended for partnering up to offer the class.

Merchants and employees will receive valuable tips on how to deal with someone who enters their business in a confused state of mind and how to respond to someone in distress on city streets.

Unfortunately, these are the types of situations that can occur on a daily basis downtown.

Teaching the class will be Craig Rennebohm of the Mental Health Chaplaincy.

Rennebohm has worked with the homeless and mentally ill on the streets of Seattle for the past 17 years.

Also on hand will be someone from the Olympia prosecuting attorney's office to review the best ways to effectively prepare a police report.

The class will feature a panel presentation by South Sound community members, including the discussion and role playing of specific situations that can arise with the homeless and mentally ill.

For more information on the class, contact the Olympia Downtown Association at 360-357-8948 or First Christian Church at 360-943-8025.

It's encouraging to see the faith community, downtown merchants and the police working together to better understand how to defuse potentially volatile confrontations in a compassionate, responsible way.