What people are saying about CIT

  • They're doing it. They're changing the culture in our community about how they're going to interact with individuals with mental health needs, and it's going to be transformative now and into the future.

    Maribeth,
    Chief Executive Officer,
    LifeWays

  • These officers being willing to participate in the training means that they have an open mind to mental health and their willingness is an example of them taking that initiative to participate in something that gives them additional tools to be able to do a very difficult job.

    Fred Delos Santos,
    Supervisor, Crisis Services
    LifeWays

  • As a veteran officer with a long history of dealing with individuals facing mental health issues, this training gave me a different perspective. I had no idea the number of resources our community had to combat the mental health crisis. This training definitely added another tool to my belt, so to speak. I can now say that I have used the skills and resources gained in this training on multiple occasions.

    Darin R. McIntosh,
    Deputy Director of Operations,

    Blackman-Leoni Township Department of Public Safety

What is CIT?

The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program is a community partnership of law enforcement, mental health and addiction professionals, individuals who live with mental illness and/or addiction disorders, their families, and other advocates. It is an innovative first-responder model of police-based crisis intervention training to help persons with mental disorders and/or addictions access medical treatment rather than place them in the criminal justice system due to illness-related behaviors. It also promotes officer safety and the safety of the individual in crisis.

CIT PROGRAM GOALS:

  1. Develop the most compassionate and effective crisis response system that is the least intrusive in a person's life.

  2. To help persons with mental disorders and/or addictions access medical/mental health treatment rather than place them in the criminal justice system due to illness related behaviors.

Benefits of CIT

About the Crisis Intervention Team program in Jackson and Hillsdale, Michigan.

Training for Law Enforcement/First Responders

The 40-hour training curriculum is taught by local specialists from the law enforcement, behavioral health and consumer/advocate field. Upon completion of the course, officers/first responders are better equipped to:

  1. Understand common signs and symptoms of mental illnesses and co-occurring disorders;

  2. Recognize when those signs and symptoms represent a crisis situation;

  3. Safely de-escalate individuals experiencing behavioral health crises;

  4. Utilize community resources and diversion strategies to provide assistance.

CIT Partners

  • Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office

  • Jackson County Office of the Sheriff

  • Jackson Police Department

  • Blackman-Leoni Department of Public Safety

  • U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs

  • Henry Ford Allegiance Health

  • Dungan & Kirkpatrick Attorneys at Law

  • Home of New Vision

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DID YOU KNOW?

The CIT model, known as the "Memphis Model" was first developed in 1988 and since has spread throughout the United States and several nations worldwide. In 2008 the CIT founders, Dr. Randy Dupont and Major Sam Cochran (ret.) led the convening of members of successful CIT programs from throughout the United States.  These individuals became the founding board members of CIT International.

CIT International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.  CIT International formed to assist communities worldwide with crisis response system reform by developing CIT programs at the state/province level, regional level, and local level.