Police-Encounters-With-People-In-Crisis

58. While an officer is not expected to have the expertise of a mental health
professional, the CIT model attempts to bridge the gap between the limited expertise of
police in addressing calls involving a person in crisis, on the one hand, and on the other,
the limited ability of nurses and other mental health professionals to act as a first
response for a variety of reasons, including resource constraints, security risks to
civilians, and the rapid timeframe in which many of these calls evolve.
(b) The institutional framework of the Memphis CIT model
59. Over time, 10 core elements of the CIT model have been identified that are
needed for a successful program. These elements are important to the effectiveness of
any crisis resolution model (not just the CIT model). The TPS should seek to incorporate
them, to the extent it has not already done so, into its procedures and practices for
dealing with people in crisis.
(a)
Multi-disciplinary Partnerships: Multi-disciplinary partnerships between
officials in law enforcement, mental health advocacy, and professional
treatment organizations must be established. Police officers are able to
provide assistance to individuals in need of mental health services by
providing referrals or transporting clients to appropriate facilities. If
strong partnerships with treatment providers do not exist, effective access
to the health care system and quality treatment may be undermined. The
mental health advocacy community can lend strong support to the CIT
program through dedicated people whose goal is to improve the quality of
life for persons with mental illness. Members of the advocacy community
are liaisons who help voice ideas and concerns from the community,
contributing insight from those directly affected. 41
(b) Community Involvement: Community involvement in planning,
implementation and networking is necessary. Community partnerships
are essential for identifying solutions to crisis situations. Individuals
within the community become stakeholders in the CIT program and must
provide ongoing feedback and problem-solving to ensure its success. 42
(c)
Policies and Procedures: Policies and procedures must be amended. Police
policies regarding the proper conduct of all officers, CIT-trained officers,
and police call-takers and dispatchers are particularly necessary. Policies
that maximize a CIT officer’s discretion in responding to a crisis and in
leading the intervention can be crucial, regardless of traditional chain of
command based on who is the first officer on the scene. 43 Within the
mental health community, policies for managing referrals from CIT
officers may be put in place to potentially expedite interactions, which in
turn maximizes the availability of police resources.
41
Id. at 29-30.
42
Ibid.
43
Ibid.
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