Program Description

Colorado Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Program

Overview

With the rise in the number of people without access to mental health services, police are often called upon as “first responders” to mental health crisis calls. Without proper police training, crisis situations can put both the police officer and the citizen at risk of harm, quickly escalating to arrest. In response, Memphis, Tennessee, developed the first Crisis Intervention Team (CIT), which soon became a crisis response model for police forces around the nation. CIT is quickly becoming a new law enforcement approach for responding to mental health crisis calls. Teams are made up of police officers specially trained in recognizing the signs of mental illness, as well as crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques.

Colorado has developed a statewide multi-jurisdictional CIT initiative for responding to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. The Colorado CIT program is unique in that it has expanded its services to juveniles. In fact, in 2003, crisis calls involving youth accounted for 14 percent of responses in Denver and 19 percent  in Jefferson County. The Division of Criminal Justice leads the expansion of CIT across the state, providing staff support, class development, program coordination, technical assistance, and funding. Initial startup, as well as the first four years of operation of the CIT program were funded by the Edward Byrne Memorial Fund via the Office of Drug Control and System Improvement, a unit of the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice. Currently, the program is partially funded through Community Oriented Policing Services (COPs) and local police department funds allocated to officer training. Additional funds are currently being sought for the proposed statewide expansion. Not only does the Colorado CIT partner with local police and sheriff’s departments, but numerous agencies are also engaged in the planning and development process, including mental health agencies and hospitals, nonprofit organizations, and local chapters of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. Many of the volunteer trainers are professionals known for their work on the local, state, and national level. Their willingness to volunteer their time teaching lecture sessions is a demonstration of their commitment to the CIT program.

Crisis calls in Colorado that may have previously resulted in violent confrontations are now handled by trained CIT officers. Services are provided by partnerships that have been formed between police, mental health and social services providers, hospitals, and advocates. Typically, mental health crisis calls result in voluntary transports to appropriate services. When necessary, CIT officers follow up with individuals and families, and with mental health service agencies, to determine if further action is needed.

As of June 2004, over 1,250 officers from 46 local law enforcement agencies had been trained by Colorado’s CIT program. Reports from CIT officers indicate that over 74 percent of CIT calls have resulted in transport to treatment, only 4 percent  of responses involving a CIT officer have resulted in an arrest, and for over 97 percent of CIT calls, no civilian or officer injuries occurred.

References

Colorado Office of Juvenile Justice. (Accessed October 22, 2004). Colorado’s Three-Year Juvenile Justice Plan 2003–2005. Available at: http://dcj.state.co.us/ojj/3%20Yr.%20Plan/2003-05%20JJ%20Plan.htm

Colorado Regional Community Policing Institute (2004) Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) Fact Sheet.  Golden, CO: Colorado Regional Community Policing Institute.

(2005). Personal Communication with Heather Cameron, Colorado CIT Manager, Golden Colorado.

Program Contacts

Keri Fitzpatrick
Colorado CIT Manager
Colorado Regional Community Policing Institute
Colorado Division of Criminal Justice
700 Kipling
Denver, CO 80215
Phone: 303-239-4423

Diane Pasini-Hill
Office of Research and Statistics
Colorado Division of Criminal Justice
700 Kipling
Denver, CO 80215
Phone: 303-239-4455