The goal of the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training is to prepare officers in the field to identify cues of a person who may be emotionally distressed or mentally ill and how to respond and handle situations safely and effectively. Together law enforcement, mental health professionals and individuals living with these illnesses have come up with this training to better assist everyone in understanding what someone is going through and the right steps to take when more help will be needed for the individual.
The CIT course is part of the basic officer academy training for DPS officers, and after it participants are able to:
- Identify the behavioral signs of emotional distress
- Identify the major causes of emotional distress, mental illness, substance use, medical conditions and situational problems
- List criteria needed to apply the mental health law and identify situations where this would be appropriate to use, such as;
- Substantial risk of harm to self or others
- Instances that may require transport to a health care facility (unable to care for themselves)
- Assess and intervene effectively in situations involving emotionally distressed persons
- Enhance physical safety of an emotionally disturbed person and others involved in situations
This training along with along with an established relationship with the University Counseling Center (UCC) and 24/7 access to UCC counselors allows DPS to provide quick and compassionate service to the community we serve.
Learn more at http://www.rochester.edu/uhs/ucc/