It stands for Crisis Intervention Team. This is a program that I really don't think the media has given enough exposure. It is an excellent tool for our Department that we have been utilizing for almost 10 years now. It is a program so effective that it is now taught throughout the State.
Years ago when I was still a Homicide Detective for the Louisville Division of Police a program was introduced for the Beat Cops to help them deal with people with mental illness. One of the things that frustrated me most when I was a Beat Cop was that we were constantly dealing with people with mental illness but we had no venue to do it correctly.
A typical situation would be for us to be dispatched on a run about a person causing problems or acting "Crazy". The only way we had to deal with it would be for us to arrest them for Disorderly Conduct. I would even put a notation on my arrest slips the subject was causing alarm or dismay to people..blah, blah, blah and I would note that this subject was in need of mental health treatment in the hope that it would be viewed by the Judge and they would be court ordered to get some type of treatment. Sometimes it happened and sometimes it didn't.
More often than not they would be back on the streets the next day in the same condition they were before. By arresting them we would temporarily take care of the problem that they were causing but we weren't doing anything to help fix the problem. It was only a temporary solution at best.
Better minds than mine were also aware of the problem and they created the CIT Program. It is designed to help get people the help they need without having to resort to arresting them.
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.
Let's face it. We were doing a great disservice to people by arresting them. The problem was we had no other options. We had to take care of the problem but if they were not a danger to themselves or others or did not have a MIW ( Mental Inquest Warrant) our hands were pretty much tied.
The CIT Program was established in full cooperation with University Hospital so that we now had a way to help the people suffering from mental illness get the help they needed. The theory behind it was that we would be giving them the chance to help get their lives back under control through therapy and proper medication. Now several other hospitals have joined in and the program has gotten even better.
After we cleared from the run I went back to my Sergeant and asked him to include me in the next training session for the CIT program. I felt it was my responsibility and duty to take this training and learn as much as I could in order to be able to perform my duties to the best of my ability.
Our Officers go through 40 hours of in service training and also participate in clinical evaluations at University Hospital in order to become certified. I hadn't been through the training because I was in CIS when the program started. Officers in the program learn about the issues in dealing with mental illness , the go through extensive training on how to deal with it and how to recognize symptoms etc…
They learn about the medications that "Consumers" are prescribed and the effects of these meds and how to recognize their effectiveness or lack thereof. They go through training on abuse of the meds and or the effects when they aren't taken properly.
At the time participation in the program was strictly voluntary, and many Officers stepped up to the plate because they recognized the importance of the program. Now every officer goes through the program in recruit training. One day our department will have every Officer trained in this great program.
It is a vital part of our duties to be able to help people in need. When we merged Departments it was embraced by the new administration and the program has continued to flourish. The CIT Program is now taught State wide!
People suffering from mental illness can't help what they do. In the United States a large number of our population suffer from this disease but nobody wanted to deal with it until the CIT Program came along.
As a Homicide Detective I was not one of the original participants in this program due to the nature of what we dealt with. I can remember the first CIT run I was dispatched on when I returned to patrol. A lady was causing a disturbance and someone called in on her. I was dispatched on the run along with a CIT Officer. I got there first and was talking to the woman when the CIT Officer arrived. He stayed back and listened to me talk to the woman as I attempted to convince her that she really needed to go to University Hospital and talk to one of the Doctors about what she was going through.
After I convinced her to go, I turned to the other Officer and asked him if he was going to take her. He looked at me and said: "Why don't you go ahead and transport her? You're CIT. " He was surprised to find out that I wasn't trained as a CIT Officer.
I am proud to be a CIT Officer for our Department! I am glad that our Department has whole heartily embraced and supported this program. I truly feel that we are helping people get treatment and a chance to become functional members of society again. All they need it a little extra help and compassion from us and the support to be able to help turn their lives around.
Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but I feel we have helped many people over the years to get their lives back in focus and move forward.
I am not naive to think this is a program that works 100% of the time but I truly feel that we have a duty and an obligation to try. I challenge my fellow Officers throughout the Commonwealth to go through the training and help make a difference in our communities.