The Crisis Response and Intervention Training (CRIT) is a 40-hour training program developed to prepare police officers in their response to people experiencing crises related to behavioral health (BH) disorders and/or intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This training is based upon the Memphis Model of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training and is designed to complement the development and delivery of crisis response programs planned by law enforcement agencies and mental health/disability service providers in the community.

This 40-hour training program includes 21 modules of varying lengths and learning styles. These modules focus on topical areas such as BH and IDD, community engagement and resources, systems and research considerations, and scenario-based skills. National subject matter experts in policing, BH, and IDD serve as the primary trainers of this program with assistance from local instructors to tailor training content to the agency and community context.

Following participation in the Crisis Response and Intervention Training (CRIT), officers will have a better understanding of the types of challenges that persons with BH disorders and/or IDD face, have knowledge of community resources that can aid in the diversion of individuals from the criminal justice system, and have skills to assist in the management of situations involving people experiencing BH and/or IDD-related crises.

The 40-hour training matrix can be found here

CRIT Pilot Site Selection Announcement

Three agencies have been selected to participate as pilot sites for the Crisis Response and Intervention Training in 2021. Congratulations to Corvallis (OR) Police Department, Pittsburgh (PA) Bureau of Police, and Rapid City (SD) Police Department!

These agencies will receive intensive technical assistance, training, and companion resources from a national pool of subject matter experts to adopt and operationalize a crisis response program. Agencies will engage in comprehensive strategic planning – including program design, implementation, and partnership-building – and training to promote effective and safer responses to persons experiencing a crisis, or at risk of experiencing a crisis, related to behavioral health conditions (including mental health and substance use) and/or intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Crisis Response for Rural Communities: Using Technology and Peer Support to Meet People in Crisis, Where They Are

Date: September 16, 2021, 12:30–2:00 p.m. ET

Rural communities can face many challenges developing and delivering crisis response programs for people with behavioral health conditions and intellectual and developmental disabilities, including wide geographic areas to serve, limitations in options for local treatment and social services, and resource constraints related to funding and staffing. Across the United States, rural communities have adapted best practices in crisis response to overcome these challenges and address the need for services in their jurisdictions by having mental health providers meet people in crisis where they are, either in-person or through telehealth services. These programs can prevent the need for additional resources, such as police and emergency medical services, to respond to individuals in crisis and may enhance short- and long-term outcomes for these individuals.

Presented by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance's Academic Training to Inform Police Responses Initiative, this webinar will feature two programs that have adapted crisis response for use in rural communities. Panelists will present the innovative approaches in crisis response implemented by their programs and discuss the challenges of ensuring the needs of individuals in crisis who live in rural communities are met. Additionally, the Academic Training project team will highlight key resources to support rural communities developing and implementing crisis response in their jurisdiction. Register today!

Taking the Call: A National Conference Exploring Innovative Community Responder Models

Wednesday, October 20–Thursday, October 21, 2021 12:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m. ET

Join the CSG Justice Center, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, and the University of Cincinnati for Taking The Call, a two-day national conference exploring innovative community responder models.

Communities across the U.S. are launching new responses to emergency calls that help reduce law enforcement contact and connect people in need to appropriate health services. These responses are redefining who answers calls for service involving mental health or substance use crises, homelessness, “quality-of-life” issues, and other low-level situations.

Taking the Call will bring people together from across the U.S. to explore how jurisdictions are serving as laboratories for innovation to ensure that emergency calls receive the appropriate response. The conference will highlight the opportunities and challenges of these community responder models and discuss how the approach may improve community health, lessen the burden on law enforcement, and reduce unnecessary justice system contact.

The virtual conference is free and open to the public; pre-registration is required. The event livestream will also be accessible at https://csgjusticecenter.org/taking-the-call/ and on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Viewers can join the conversation by following #JusticeBriefingLive.

Register Now!

In August 2020, a multi-disciplinary group of individuals with subject matter expertise in police responses to people with behavioral health issues and/or developmental disabilities convened virtually to participate in the Law Enforcement Engagement with People with Behavioral Health Issues and Developmental Disabilities Stakeholder Roundtable. This roundtable was designed to inform the work of the Academic Training to Inform Police Responses by facilitating discussions related to:

1. Opportunities to advance the safety and effectiveness of police engagement with people with behavioral health (BH) issues and/or developmental disabilities (DD);
2. Best practices in current crisis response models and collaboration between police and service provider partners; and
3. Existing and needed products and resources to support police agencies and their service provider partners in the delivery of effective responses.

The Stakeholder Roundtable hosted presentations on existing efforts in police responses to people with BH issues and/or DD. These presentations were designed to facilitate discussions of best practices in police and community responses, methods of police-mental health and police-disability collaboration, and potential barriers to effective responses to people with BH issues and/or DD. The presenters included:

A full report of the Law Enforcement Engagement with People with Behavioral Health Issues and Developmental Disabilities Stakeholder Roundtable can be found here. This report provides:

• An account of the planning and delivery of the Roundtable, including the processes for participant selection and activities across the two-day meeting;
• A description of the major themes of the discussions, polls, and survey responses generated by the Stakeholder Roundtable participants; and
• Recommendations for future efforts to facilitate collaborative responses to people with BH issues and/or DD within communities.

Webinar Description:

Historically, law enforcement has been the default response to all 911 calls for service, including incidents involving individuals experiencing crises related to behavioral health disorders and/or intellectual and developmental disabilities. It has been observed that many of these incidents are service-based calls, where the presence of law enforcement may not be needed. In recent years, communities have increased efforts to reorganize their crisis response systems, training 911 call-takers and dispatchers to shift away from directing law enforcement as first responders to these calls. This webinar features four programs that have leveraged the training, policies, and procedures of 911 call-takers and dispatch when restructuring their community’s response to crisis incidents. Panelists present the innovative approaches in crisis response implemented by their programs and discuss the challenges of ensuring appropriate services are dispatched to crisis incidents to best meet the needs of individuals.

Presentations:

1. Training of CIT Dispatch Trainers
   Ruth H. Simera, Med, LSW; Executive Director
   Coordinating Centers of Excellence, Northeast Ohio Medical University
    
2. Colorado Justice Mental Health Collaboration Program: Dispatch / Crisis Services Collaboration
   Peggy Heil, LCSW; Behavioral Health Specialist
   Colorado Division of Criminal Justice
   Abigail S. Tucker, PsyD
   SHE Consulting, LLC
    
3. Albuquerque Police Department’s IDD Training for Telecommunicators
   Ben Melendrez, Detective
   Albuquerque (NM) Police Department
    
4. Transitioning 911 Response: San Francisco’s Street Crisis Response Team (SCRT) Pilot Program
   Robert Smuts, Deputy Director
   San Francisco Department of Emergency Management
   Simon Pang, Section Chief of Community Paramedicine
   San Francisco Fire Department
    

• Webinar Video

• Webinar Slides

• Webinar Transcript

• 911 Distressed Caller Diversion Program in Broome County, NY Fact Sheet

Supported by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, this training initiative brings together experts in law enforcement, mental and behavioral health, curriculum development, and evaluation to raise awareness in the law enforcement community about the nature and needs of persons with behavioral health issues or developmental disabilities to facilitate the use of evidence-based and best practices in law enforcement response. More information on the Academic Training partner organizations can be found here.

• Academic Training to Inform Police Responses Best Practice Guide
  • Assessing the Impact of Crisis Intervention Teams
  • Assessing the Impact of Co-Responder Team Programs
  • Law Enforcement-Based Case Management Services
  • Assessing the Impact of Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD)
  • Assessing the Impact of Mobile Crisis Teams
  • Assessing the Impact of Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Teams
  • Assessing the Impact of EMS and Ambulance-Based Responses

• Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Police Mental Health Collaboration Toolkit

• Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Justice and Mental Health Collaboration (JMHCP) Program

• Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center: Police Mental Health Collaborations
   
• International Association of Chiefs of Police’s (IACP) One Mind Campaign
   
• National League of Cities (NLC): Addressing Mental Health, Substance Use, and Homelessness
   
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMSHA’s) GAINS (Gather, Assess, Integrate, Network, and Stimulate) Center
   
• The Arc of the United States’ Pathways to Justice®