Defusing Crisis Situations

The mentally ill, emotionally disturbed, developmentally disabled, suicidal, and persons who otherwise suffer from any form of mental disability can pose a significant challenge to police officers. The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) provides police officers new strategies and tools for identifying and de-escalating crisis calls involving these individuals. The use of CIT during crisis situations:

• Decreases arrest and injury rates for people in crisis
• Enhances public involvement in law enforcement efforts
• Increases officer and citizen safety

Certification Requirements

Officers are required to complete a rigorous 40-hour training course to receive CIT certification. The course work includes lectures presented by mental health and law enforcement professionals, group discussions with mental health consumers, and role-playing training activities with professional actors.