NCJ Number
206701
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 73 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2004 Pages: 18-25
Date Published
July 2004
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article describes the functions, training, and legal considerations for Montgomery County's (Maryland) crisis intervention team (CIT), which provides police officers with the skills they need to de-escalate situations that involve people with mental illness who are in crisis.
Abstract
Since its creation in 1999, the CIT's mission has been to peacefully resolve potentially violent encounters with persons who are mentally ill by using a proactive approach. Achieving this goal has involved providing officers with the tools and skills to de-escalate critical incidents with mentally ill individuals. Three complementary components have made the CIT effective: training, the CIT officer, and the CIT coordinator. The three segments of the training component are basic, advanced, and less-than-lethal training. Basic training consists of a 40-hour block of instruction that includes both classroom and hands-on instruction. Advanced CIT training provides CIT members with continuous information and knowledge that enhances their skills and abilities. Less-than-lethal training incorporates the department's less-than-lethal weapons into a standardized protocol for the coordinated deployment of the weapons. Upon completion of the 40-hour basic training, CIT members receive a badge-shaped insignia to wear above their name tag, so as to identify them to the public as officers prepared to deal with crisis situations that involve mentally ill persons. From the program's beginning, an officer has served full-time as the CIT coordinator. The CIT coordinator develops relationships with partner agencies, organizes the CIT training courses, meets monthly with the district CIT coordinators, and participates in various meetings within the mental health community. The coordinator also tracks all incidents that involve CIT officers, and collects data on CIT incidents. The legal challenge for law enforcement leaders is to ensure that their departments are not vulnerable to claims of deliberate indifference, especially when dealing with individuals who are mentally ill. The establishment and training of a CIT team that is knowledgeable and skilled in dealing with mentally ill individuals in crisis situations increases the chances that such situations will be resolved peacefully and without departmental legal liability. 26 notes