Crisis Intervention Team
CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) was developed in 1988 by the Memphis Police Department after the shooting of a person with diagnosed mental illness. After the shooting, MPD, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and the University of Tennessee Medical School collaborated on a program to address police encounters with those with mental illness in the community.
“CIT is a program that provides the foundation necessary to promote community and statewide solutions to assist individuals with a mental illness and/or addictions. The CIT Model reduces both stigma and the need for further involvement with the criminal justice system. CIT provides a forum for effective problem solving regarding the interaction between the criminal justice and mental health care system and creates the context for sustainable change.” – CIT International 2018
In 2017 the agency committed to a pledge to improve our response to those suffering from mental illness in Buffalo Grove. This initiative is called the “One Mind” campaign and was started by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). The department is currently in the process of certifying all sworn officers in CIT as part of the “One Mind” Campaign. As of December 2018, the department is 80% in compliance.
CIT Officers are assigned to various parts of our agency including all three patrol shifts and our schools. In addition, one can find a CIT officer assigned to almost every specialty unit. At minimum, each CIT officer attends a 40 hour training course which covers an overview of mental illness and specific de-escalation strategies. More often, CIT officers are motivated to pursue more in-depth training pertaining to crisis intervention and mental health, resulting in a better-rounded CIT program.
When our dispatch center receives a 911 call involving someone who may be in crisis due to some form of mental illness, the dispatcher will attempt to assign a CIT officer to accompany other responding officers to the call. The department has worked with its dispatch center (Northwest Central Dispatch) in identifying those officers with CIT training credentials. Once at the location, CIT officers will work with the person and/or family to connect them with the services they need, especially if they will not immediately be transported to the hospital.
“CIT is a program that provides the foundation necessary to promote community and statewide solutions to assist individuals with a mental illness and/or addictions. The CIT Model reduces both stigma and the need for further involvement with the criminal justice system. CIT provides a forum for effective problem solving regarding the interaction between the criminal justice and mental health care system and creates the context for sustainable change.” – CIT International 2018
In 2017 the agency committed to a pledge to improve our response to those suffering from mental illness in Buffalo Grove. This initiative is called the “One Mind” campaign and was started by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). The department is currently in the process of certifying all sworn officers in CIT as part of the “One Mind” Campaign. As of December 2018, the department is 80% in compliance.
CIT Officers are assigned to various parts of our agency including all three patrol shifts and our schools. In addition, one can find a CIT officer assigned to almost every specialty unit. At minimum, each CIT officer attends a 40 hour training course which covers an overview of mental illness and specific de-escalation strategies. More often, CIT officers are motivated to pursue more in-depth training pertaining to crisis intervention and mental health, resulting in a better-rounded CIT program.
When our dispatch center receives a 911 call involving someone who may be in crisis due to some form of mental illness, the dispatcher will attempt to assign a CIT officer to accompany other responding officers to the call. The department has worked with its dispatch center (Northwest Central Dispatch) in identifying those officers with CIT training credentials. Once at the location, CIT officers will work with the person and/or family to connect them with the services they need, especially if they will not immediately be transported to the hospital.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Not every officer is CIT trained, ask for a CIT officer if one is available
- Your loved one is having a mental health crisis (be brief)
- Advise the dispatcher if the person is armed or has access to weapons (to potentially harm themselves or others)
- Share if the person has been drinking alcohol or using drugs
- Advise if they are taking any prescription medications, as prescribed or otherwise
- You can request officers arrive with no lights or siren, if the lights or noise will further traumatize your loved one
- Share anything that will help calm or upset the person
- Remind the officer the person is experiencing a mental health crisis
- Make officers aware of anything that can calm or further upset the person
- Advise officers if the person has any weapons on them, or if any are easily accessible
- Let officers know if they are generally violent, or have been violent in the past
- Meet the officers outside and give as full of an explanation as possible
- Let officers know what you think precipitated the event
- Get to know your police department; introduce your loved one to officers when they are not in crisis to help build a relationship
- Create a resident alert program, where you can share information with the police department about your loved one to better prepare them prior to arriving at your residence
- Police concentrate on the threat, or possible threat of violence first, particularly when weapons are involved
- The officer may ask you, or others, to wait in an area away from the person in crisis
- Be prepared to go to the hospital, depending on the situation
- Make sure your family member knows the police are there to help