CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAMS (CIT)
Coming
to Your Area March 2008 (Date
to Be Announced) Click Here
Download Brochure
The purpose of the CIT “Kick-Off” forum is to bring together law enforcement, community service agencies, and mental health providers to survey the interest in establishing a CIT (Crisis Reponses Team) in the area.
The CIT program began in NC in 2005, when Wake County graduated its first class of Law Enforcement Officers. There are currently CIT programs in four counties in NC, with many more in development. Twenty-seven law enforcement agencies now participate in CIT Programs in NC, with a total of more than 350 CIT certified law enforcement officers.
Mission
The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program is a community partnership working with mental health consumers and family members. Our goal is to set a standard of excellence for our officers with respect to treatment of individuals with mental illness. This is done by establishing individual responsibility for each event and overall accountability for the results. Officers will be provided with the best quality training available, they will be part of a specialized team which can respond to a crisis at any time and they will work with the community to resolve each situation in a manner that shows concern for the citizen’s well being.
What is a Crisis Response team (CIT)?
CIT is a pre-booking jail diversion program that:
Provides 40 hours of specialized training to sworn law enforcement officers.
Decreases the incidents of incarceration of persons
with mental illness for misdemeanor charges.
Connects persons in mental health crisis to
appropriate mental health services rather than the criminal justice system.
Decreases officer injury rates.
Decreases use of force occurrences.
Decrease consumer injury rates.
Creates an earlier opportunity to engage consumers
in mental health services.
INNOVATIVE PROGRAM
As an innovative program, the CIT model encourages communities, families, law enforcement officers, and mental health professionals to act as a compass for consumers of mental illness. An increase in illegal narcotic/alcohol abuse and the “deinstitutionalzation” of mentally ill citizens has caused many to become homeless and potentially more violent which increases the chances of involvement with law enforcement. This increases the possibility for excessive force complaints and the inevitable backlash from the community.
PROGRAM BENEFITS
Since the CIT program began, the citizens and the criminal justice system of Memphis have experienced significant benefits of the program. Some of the benefits of the program are listed below.
· Crisis response is immediate
· Arrests and use of force has decreased
· Underserved consumers are identified by officers and provided with care
· Patient violence and use of restraints in the ER has decreased
· Officers are better trained and educated in verbal de-escalation techniques
· Officer’s injuries during crisis events have declined
· Officer recognition and appreciation by the community has increased
· Less “victimless” crime arrests
· Decrease in liability for health care issues in the jail
· Cost savings
FEES/COST
There will be no Registration Fee or cost to you or your organization. This “Kick-Off” meeting is being sponsored by Foothills Area Program in collaboration with NAMI, CFAC and NC Division of Mental Health/ Substance Abuse/Developmental Disabilities Services.
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Contact Ann Robinson, Operations Director, at 828-430-7148 if you have any questions.