Police-Encounters-With-People-In-Crisis

(d)
(e)
(f)
New CIT Positions: The roles of CIT officers, dispatchers, and coordinators
need to be defined and coordinated. In addition to officers who voluntarily
apply for CIT, police call-takers and dispatchers must be familiar with CIT
and possess sufficient knowledge and recognition of mental health events
in order to dispatch a CIT officer when appropriate. Finally, the police
service should establish a CIT coordinator who serves as a liaison between
the program and its stakeholders in the mental health advocacy and
treatment communities regarding operation of the program. 44
Basic CIT Training: CIT training must be implemented. A centerpiece of
the CIT program is a comprehensive 40-hour intensive course that equips
officers with the knowledge needed to effectively respond to people in
crisis. This course builds on the training given to all officers, while placing
a greater emphasis on a verbal, compassionate response instead of an
approach that emphasizes control. Techniques associated with the latter
methodology are frequently counterproductive in de-escalating an
interaction with a person in crisis, many of whom feel frightened and out
of control. The course should incorporate lectures, visits to mental health
treatment facilities, interaction with people with mental illnesses who are
not currently in crisis, and practical scenario-based training. 45 Typically
10-20% of front line officers would receive this training. In Toronto, this
would result in approximately 500 officers skilled in crisis intervention,
versus the much smaller number who have received the training by
participating in MCIT. CIT officers typically wear a special badge on their
uniform that identifies their special skill set in the field.
Transfer of Care: A designated emergency mental-health-receiving facility
provides a point of emergency entry into the mental health system for
people in crisis. To ensure CIT’s success, the facility or facilities must
provide CIT officers with minimal turnaround time and should operate on
a no-refusal basis. 46
(g) Ongoing Study: Continual evaluation and research of program
performance helps to improve outcomes. These are useful tools in
measuring the impact, outcomes and efficiency of a CIT program. Existing
research demonstrates that CIT has been effective in developing positive
perceptions and increased confidence among police officers, providing
efficient crisis response times, increasing jail diversion among those with
mental illnesses, improving the likelihood of treatment continuity with
community-based providers, and impacting psychiatric symptomatology
44
Id. at 33-34.
45
Ibid.
46
Id. at 35.
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