CIT

I feel all warm & fuzzy inside

My question. The "title" consumer, was utilized for the purpose of not putting a label on the person. But by doing so has done just that, put a label on them. I have recieved comments from "consumers" on the subject. "is that your label for us" etc.

It's funny, creating a label to avoid a label. Who comes up with this stuff?

"The program was established with Beat Officers and EMS in mind. It was streamlined so that our runs take priority and the patients or ?Consumers? as we call them get immediate access to the treatment they need and deserve."

While I agree there is a place for CIT and the program has a good foundation after 10 years, what it does not address is how EMS falls into this process. All to often it comes down to who will transport, why and how the different parties got involved with each senerio. EMS command comes up with different interpitations as it relates to how EMS will play a part in each individual situation. EMS has never been put through any type of CIT training, which should happen. A more colabertive effort needs to be reached with social services, Police, EMS, mental health agencies and the Judicial system. The answer does not and should not be jail or transport to the emergency departments. Many of the patients we encounter have established relationship with phsychiatric treatment programs, maybe we should take a look at steamling patients directly to places like Caritas Peace, Ten Brock or the likes.

There are situations when the patients we encouter via CIT runs do need emergent medcial treatment prior to being moved to a more definitive treatment facility. Unless patients fall into a very narrow catogory will they be kept and sent onto a more controlled treatment facility. The cycle begins again.

I strongly believe and support CIT, it is not a police problem, it is not an EMS problem nor any one single agency problem, it is a community problrem . We need and must make this a collaboritve effort. Please excuse any grammatical errors!

I feel being a little "cit" myself helps!

NAMI Louisville has partnered with the Louisville Metro Police Department to provide Crisis Intervention Team training to police officers in Louisville. The purpose of CIT training is to teach officers how to respond to persons in mental health crisis. Officers are trained to spot symptoms, understand side effects of medications, deescalate dangerous situations, use physical force as a last resort and take persons to the hospital instead of to jail when possible.

Over the past four years, NAMI Louisville has participated in the training of more than 300 police recruits and veteran officers. In 2009, NAMI Louisville will train more than 100 officers.

In 2008, NAMI Louisville presented its first "CIT Officer of the Year" award at our annual Walk for Recovery. Officer Justin Hardy was honored for his commitment to the CIT program and his actions during several crisis intervention situations during his career. NAMI Louisville and the LMPD partnered to send Officer Hardy to the national Crisis Intervention Team conference in Atlanta.

For more information about the National Alliance on Mental Illness and its involvement in CIT training nationwide, check out the NAMI CIT Technical Assistance Resource Center. If you are a police administrator in Kentucky, outside of Louisville, who needs CIT training for your officers, call NAMI Louisville. We can assist in getting a CIT training program in your community or work with the LMPD to allow your officers to attend training in Louisville.

Thanks for writing an article about something that works. Sometimes I wonder if anything works on LMPD. All kidding aside, it is important to see that so many Officers are involved in this program. I know that when I went through it was a learning experience for me.

I also agree that I felt frustrated that the courts weren't doing anything with these folks and they were slipping through the cracks. On one hand we had to deal with the imediate issue and the only option we had was to DC them.

On the other hand even as Paul wrote in the article, you could make a note that this person needs treatment but more than likely nothing would be done. The court system is no place for them. The PD"s office would ask for a competency hearing for the criminal charges and then once they were found incompetent to stand trial the charges would be dropped.

They other problem is that mental illness is so low on the totem pole for insurers that you are pretty much screwed if you need long term treatment.

Man you called it right. It went on and on and he sounded rediculous.

I agree, Skippy Glaser is cit!

I guess I am in the minority in thinking that dealing with mental issues is not really a police matter. I know in this day of warm and fuzzy that that probably doesn't go over well. If they are dangerous to others, then fine, we go in and do our job but I don't agree that police should be making runs on cit people in general. Maybe I am just cynical from dealing with so many that are just working the system and know if they call the police and say the magic words that they get a free trip down to the hospital so they can get some more happy pills.

I'm all for the program and helping those who are truly ill. I do agree that EMS might benefit from the training. I made a run a few weeks back where a vietnam vet was in a full flashback. This guy was a purple heart recipient and just going through a rough time with the flashbacks. You know what he got at UofL while waiting to go into EPS? He got two chucklehead EMS techs and a nurse saying, "Charlie's in the bush" while he was strapped down. Three idiots whose closest experiences with war is video games. Made me sick in my stomach.

Connie Marshall from 1st division is running for Mayor!

Thanks for the article Paul. As usual, a fine job.

CIT is a great benefit to us all in the community. People are going to continue to be in crisis and on the beats we ride. As a result, this option to help is a good one. Early on (2001-2002), EMS, Fire, and Radio Room CO's went throught the original CIT course. Perhaps it may be time for a brief refresher. However, that being said, there is a group that meets each month to discuss issues that we all face. This group includes police officers and command, the hospital directors, fire command, ems command, mental health advocates, etc. Actually it is a team effort for all. If there are issues to be faced and dealt with out in the field, please let someone know. Many times, issues that arise are addressed in the meeting that are immediately changed, sent down through all ranks, and fixed. That is exactly why the group exists. Recently, EMS made some changes, and the CIT course is also revised at times to include these pressing issues. These types of issues can only be fixed when uncovered. Our silence about concerns will not help anyone, and only add to frustration on our part.

Please continue to do all of the good police work we have always done. Police officers throughout the commonwealth must protect AND serve. As a group we do exceptionally well in CIT work and "real" police work. (I only add this to address the concerns of some.) There is NO magic answer for all situations. Stay Safe!!!

Off the subject... I was looking at time sheets the other day and noticed Hollingsworth is on FML. What the F^$k???? I know of atleast 4 people that are out on leave for no apparent reason. WHY do we (command staff) allow this to happen? Every division in running short and we allow numerous officers to stay home, do nothing and get paid for it... what a waste!

Someone remarked that there are some 'consumers' that abuse the system and call over and over to get the free ride to the hospital for some happy pills. This is very true. I deal with some who have so many frequent flyer miles they could go to Thailand and back for a free vacation. Even though this is annoying sometimes, the program is well worth it. And yes, crazy folks are everyone's problem - not just police, not just ems, not just hospitals and the doctors who attempt to treat them. We are all crazy to some extent or we would be doing some other job. It's about trying to help people and not just displacing them to the hospitals where they "aren't my problem" anymore. I have arrested 'ghosts', kicked out invisible people who weren't even in the house, and plenty of other goofy stuff in an attempt to help folks that were a few fries short of a happy meal, but weren't actually a threat to themselves or their neighbors. I could have just told them they were nuts and no one was there, but if it makes 'em happy and keeps me from coming back 50 times I will do what they want/need. Sometimes you do have to tell folks that they are hallucinating. Sometimes you can't solve things right then and right there. Each case and every person has differing needs. Yes, there are folks that abuse the system, but some people just need someone to listen to them once in a while and do benefit from help. If you can help just a handful it's worth your time and patience.

She avoiding IA, they can't talk to her on medical leave. The Bi^^h knows how to play the game. But she can't do it forever. Her mouth on this website overloaded he a**. Now it is just a matter of time before she gets FIRED which is what this chief will have to do but not because he wants too. She plays race, poor pitiful me i'm sick or anything she can to keep her job. Look LADY your nothing but a THUG with a badge and a gun and every officer on this dept knows it. Someone should tell the media about the school she was going to be assigned as SRO not wanting her and dropping out of the SRO program because White wouldn't give them a honest altenative, what a waste of taxpayers money he is too. Wake up media I know your read this site do a little investigation in this matter or does White have you in his pocket just like Jerry does.

signed:

an officer sick of all this crap.

Every once in awhile we run across a situation that is not in the playbook. What do we do? We improvise, we adapt and overcome. Being a CIT Officer is talking to people. We all know that some of the people o our beats are a few sandwiches shy of a full picnic basket. It doesn't make them bad people and they don't need to go to jail unless they do something particularly heinous.

I have seen plenty of repeat customers and others that once they got that first bit of help they were able to pull everything together again. That is what it is all about. Imagine if instead of taking that person to the hospital where they were evaluated and treated to where they were able to go back to work and continue on with their lives that we simply cuffed 'em and stuffed 'em and the next day were back on the street no better than before only to repeat step one and only for us to repeatedly arrest them.

The CIT program works and is one of the tools we have at our dispossal. There is a definite need for better mental health treatment all across this country, but unfortunately we spend more money on cosmetic surgeries than we do on mental health.

i cragee, i cragee. i wans me sum a dem happy pills!! yum yum good. what's that? who dere? oh, never mind, just a piece of velcro stuck to my butt again. thank you po-po's fo puttin up wit me! we cool.

cragee

This site is turned to nothing more than something for these jerkoffs to play around with. I'm done with it.

Maybe someone will start a site for what this one was intended.

You retards can continue to play.

I have thought about this and I know the CIT Program is "voluntary" even though I know some Officers were delegated to go, but I think that EVERY Commanding Officer should go through the program. I also think that it should be mandatory for every PTO to have this training. How can you supervise or train someone if you yourself aren't trained in that aspect of the job?

Time to take issue with the 8th Div command staff again. Heard that an officer was purposely struck by a car operated by a fleeing suspect. Wanted for what apparently turned into a robbery. So we have a Robbery, Felony Assault, Wanton End., and Fleeing. During the pursuit, a certain car with the numbers 801 advises to terminate even though we have a dangerous felon out on the streets attempting to run us down with 3,000 pounds of screaming metal. Dirtbag probably wouldnt care about the public either,so he needs to be stopped. Sounds like grounds for lethal force to me. But not around 8th Div Jokeville Metro Police Dept.

Anyway, the officer has to acknowledge the transmission by Lt. 801. Lt says "call the station" due to inflictions of malcontent on officers voice. Officer has to say his phone was broken in his attempt to do whatever it took to live and see his family later that day.

Meanwhile later in the day, in a Division that is allowed to do police work, someone else is allowed to chase the dirtbag down and take him into custody with full cooperation of that Divisions command. Why does every division that D.W. commands always end up being a laughing stock? Why is such incompetence rewarded with a continued tenure of poor management? This place is a joke.

I was working one day and I wondered why the Department and Local Government don't do more to emphasize their successful ventures. It seems that they are too busy denying worngdoing and covering up mistakes.

Instead they should discuss things like CIT on talk shows and on their own cable channel. People really do watch that drivel. They should explain programs like CIT and cite facts and figures. Explain that before we had it the people suffering from mental illness were forced to endure an endless cycle that continually looped because nobody was really sealing with their issues.

They were screaming for help and it wasn't that the police were ignoring them, we just didn't have any way to help them. Sure we could have hummed a 202A, but that was unheard of back then, not to mention that I don't make up stuff just to accomplish a goal.

I am glad we have such a good program. I think the Department needs to acknowledged the CIT Officers for what they do. It is a tough job where you must show compassion and empathy as well as remainig neutral and professional. Sometimes I wonder if we aren't all a bit Bi-Polar.