Crisis Intervention

Our officers proudly receive Crisis Intervention Team training, which focuses on de-escalation strategies and redirection of individuals from the criminal justice system to the mental health care system.

Officers take part in a 5-day, 40-hour training program. The training is led by mental health and substance use experts, legal experts, consumer/family advocates, and experienced CIT officers. Then, high-risk crisis calls are directed to an on-duty CIT officer.

Police are often the first to be called for a crisis situation involving persons with a mental illness. These crisis situations have the potential to involve officer and citizen injury or deaths.

CIT training significantly decreases injuries, death, and community dissent. In turn, persons with a mental illness are diverted to the mental health system and treatment rather than to jail or to return to the streets.

Citizens become more confident in reporting crisis situations, and police officers are better prepared to respond safely to those situations. Crisis intervention shifts from lose-lose to win-win.

Increases officer/citizen safety
Decreases police liability and litigation
Extends officers' skills
Increases on-scene expertise
Reduces the time officers spend at hospital emergency departments
Increases officer/community confidence
Increases professionalism
Empowers officers to divert person(s) with a mental illness to treatment
Increases cooperation between criminal justice and mental health systems
Establishes responsibility and accountability
Decreases arrest rates
Reduces recidivism

(See Steadman, Deane, Borum, & Morrisey, 1998; Steadman, Morrisey, Borum, & Deane, 1997)

Visit the Missouri Crisis Intervention Team Council website for more information.

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Crisis Intervention

Why is CIT training important?

What are known outcomes of CIT?

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