Summary
"Responding to persons who are affected by mental illness or who are in an emotional crisis has become an increasingly larger issue for law enforcement officers nationwide. In addition to facing the challenges posed by limited government funding and provision of mental health services or treatment resources, these persons likely have limited options available to them and are prone to behave in ways that bring them into contact with law enforcement. Public safety calls‐for‐service involving persons with mental illness are frequently complex, time-consuming, resource intensive and often involve safety concerns for the officers and the persons they are trying to assist. The prevalence of, and challenges associated with, responding to calls‐for‐service involving persons in a mental health crisis necessitates a collaborative effort by law enforcement, fire/EMS, behavioral and mental health practitioners, advocates, persons with mental illness and their family members and friends, and other relevant stakeholders to develop solutions for safely diverting persons from the criminal justice system to community services and treatment. Law enforcement officials are increasingly partnering with behavioral and mental health partners to develop Police‐Mental Health Collaboration (PMHC) programs to improve outcomes for people with mental illnesses. For many jurisdictions, the most effective PMHC Program is the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT). CIT programs offer safer, more empathetic, and cost-effective ways for law enforcement agencies and their community partners to respond to persons with mental illness. Successful CIT programs consist of multiple components and rely on the strength of the collaborative working relationships between law enforcement, behavioral and mental health practitioners, and the community to invest in providing educationand training for law enforcement as well as effective services and support for people with mental illness and their significant others."--Page 2.
Contents
1. Introduction. -- Overview of crisis intervention and law enforcement. -- Crisis intervention training in Virginia. -- Prince William County Police Department Crisis Intervention Team. -- Virginia legislative review. -- 2. Methodology. -- On-site data collection/interviews. -- Resource material review. -- Off-site data collection and research. -- 3. Analysis. -- Organizational structure. -- Program response protocols: staffing and resources. -- Data availability and analysis capacity. -- CIT program training. -- Stakeholder relationships. -- 4. Findings and suggestions. -- 5. Conclusion. -- 6. About the authors. -- 7. About the Police Foundation.