Police-Encounters-With-People-In-Crisis

74. Some stakeholders also recommended that the TPS procedure prohibiting the use
of the MCIT as a first response be revisited. They noted that mental health nurses
frequently address potentially dangerous people in crisis, including people who are
armed, within the mental health system. Other stakeholders recommended that the TPS
consider using MCIT units as a consultative resource for first responders on calls where
there is a security threat, so that the nurse is not put in harm’s way but his or her
expertise can be harnessed to manage the response.
75. Several organizations recommended that all officers complete the MHCC’s
Mental Health First Aid course, mentioned above. This course provides evidence-based,
credible training on symptoms of various mental illnesses, using instructors carefully
selected and trained by the MHCC. This training could also play a role in developing
MCIT and CIT training.
III.
Recommendations
76. I recommend that:
Crisis Intervention Teams
RECOMMENDATION 43: The TPS develop a pilot Crisis Intervention Team
(CIT) program, intended to complement the MCIT program, along the lines of
the Memphis/Hamilton model, in the aim of being able to provide a specialized,
trained response to people in crisis 24 hours per day.
RECOMMENDATION 44: The TPS fully implement the10 core elements of the
Memphis/Hamilton CIT model comprehensively discussed in this Report.
RECOMMENDATION 45: The TPS should study the effectiveness of CIT
officers who participate in its pilot program by analyzing, among other things:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
whether a greater proportion of calls involving a person in crisis are
addressed by a specialized response;
whether CIT officers use various forms of force less frequently than
non-CIT officers;
whether CIT officers feel more capable and confident in interacting
with people in crisis than non-CIT officers;
whether the relevant community notes a difference in the way they
are treated by CIT officers versus non-CIT officers;
whether the proportion of persons entering the criminal justice
system who suffer from mental illness declines; and
any other metrics deemed relevant.
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