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Appleton Crisis Intervention Team
Quick Facts:
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- Appleton (WI) Police Department
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 105
- Primary specialized response:
- Police officers are trained to provide crisis intervention services and to act as liaisons to the mental health system.
- Program start year:
- 2005 or earlier
- Total number of officers in program:
- 12
Appleton Crisis Intervention Team
Contact:
- Name:
- John Wallschlaeger
- Title:
- Officer
- Organization:
- Appleton (WI) Police Department
- Address:
- 4209 CTH GG
Oshkosh, WI - Email:
- jtwally@direcway.com
- Phone:
- 920-420-2101
Agency Information
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- Appleton (WI) Police Department
- Type of government that operates law enforcement agency:
- Township
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 105
Specialized Response Description
- Program start year:
- 2005 or earlier
- Primary specialized response:
- Police officers are trained to provide crisis intervention services and to act as liaisons to the mental health system.
- Secondary specialized response:
- Mental health professionals partner with law enforcement officers to provide on-scene crisis intervention and referral.
- Background information:
- We partnered with our local NAMI and began organizing October 2003. We went to Akron Ohio for CIT training June 2004. We started our own 40-hour CIT training sessions September 2004. We hold two CIT session per year
- Total number of officers in program:
- 12
- Number of people with mental illness served:
- More than 500
- Catchment area:
- More than one jurisdiction
- Funding source(s):
-
- State Mental Health Authority
- Private foundation grant funding
- Staff supported by funding:
-
- Law Enforcement Officer
- Program Coordinator
Program Partners and Personnel
- Existence of planning and oversight committee:
- Yes, formerly
- Committee participants:
-
- Law enforcement line-level staff
- Mental health (and/or substance abuse) leadership
- Advocates
- Mental health or advocacy agencies that participate in program:
- NAMI Fox Valley , Wisconsin DHFS
- Written agreement of roles and procedures:
- No
- Recruitment and selection:
- Officers volunteer and some are selected.
- Program coordinator/boundary spanner
- Yes The program coordinator represents an advocacy agency
- Our anchor agency / contact person is : Karen Aspenson Executive Director NAMI Fox Valley 516 W 6th Appleton, WI 54911 920-954-1550
Training on Mental Health Issues
- Types of training on mental health issues:
-
- Basic in-service training for select patrol officers
- 4 hrs
- Basic in-service training for dispatchers and / or call takers
- 2 hrs
- Advanced in-service training for select patrol officers
- 40 hrs
- Number of officers who receive advanced training:
- 1-50
- Groups who conducts advanced training:
-
- Police officers
- Mental health professionals (crisis workers)
- Medical professionals (doctors or nurses)
- Consumers
- Community members
- Advocates
- Family member of a person with mental illness
- Advanced training topics:
- Recognizing symptoms of mental illness, and clinical issues
- Co-occurring disorders
- Psychiatric medications
- Community resources (mental health services, etc.)
- Legal issues concerning individuals with mental illness
- Legal issues concerning police officer liability
- De-escalation techniques
- Suicide prevention
- The role of families and other supports in mental health treatment and recovery
- Advanced training methods:
-
- Presentations (including panels, lectures, and/or PowerPoints)
- Role plays
- Site visits to community mental health facilities
- Ride-alongs
- Videotapes
- Virtual reality/computerized simulations of mental illness symptoms
- Other information on training:
- The training in Appleton is FREE and open to any Law Enfocement agency. We have attracted officers from all parts of Wisconsin. We have helped Milwaukee develop their own CIT training course. We also give presentations across WI to other cities interested in CIT. We believe in the 'pay it forward'
Response Procedures
- Standardized dispatch questions:
- Not Sure
- Dispatch documentation:
- Not sure
- Incident documentation by responding officer:
- Record information in a field encounter form, or other form used to document every citizen encounter
- Use of information on individuals' mental illness stored in police records:
- The dispatched officer is told of the person's mental health status and the officer has the option of consulting a CIT officer if one is not already assigned on the call.
- Mental health professional available to support police responder:
- Yes, both on-site and remotely
- Officers permitted to transport people with mental illness to services when:
- The person has volunteered to receive mental health treatment
- The person is being brought to a hospital for emergency evaluation
- The person is being brought to a crisis center or other health care facility for stabilization or medications management
- Officers allowed to transport a person without handcuffs:
- officer discretion without comprimising safety considerations.
- Access to drop-off locations:
- Yes. It is open 24 hours a day.
- Procedure for streamlined intake and a "no refusal" policy for police referrals?
- No
- Length of time for drop-off and return to patrol:
- More than 45 minutes
Program Sustainability
- Data collection:
- No
- Published evaluation:
- No
- Local media coverage:
- The Appleton Post Crescent newspaper has written a couple stories on our efforts
- Legislative funding or support:
- No
About this information:
A program representative provided this information details through a detailed survey.
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