To return to the Local Program Example Database, click here
Billings Crisis Intervention Team
Quick Facts:
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- Billings Police Department
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 132
- 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:
- 2006
- Total number of officers in program:
- 08/10/08
Billings Crisis Intervention Team
Contact:
- Name:
- Mark Cady
- Title:
- Lieutenant
- Organization:
- Billings Police Department
- Address:
- PO Box 1554
Billings, MT - Email:
- laphamb@ci.billings.mt.us
- Phone:
- 406-657-8450
Agency Information
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- Billings Police Department
- Type of government that operates law enforcement agency:
- Township
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 132
Specialized Response Description
- Program start year:
- 2006
- 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:
- There is only one specialized response program in the jurisdiction.
- Background information:
- Our program began in 1996 by sending two officers to the CIT training program sponsored by the Menphis, TN Police Department. We have been in the process of training other offciers ever since.
- Total number of officers in program:
- 08/10/08
- Number of people with mental illness served:
- More than 500
- Catchment area:
- The entire jurisdiction
- Funding source(s):
- Police Department
- Staff supported by funding:
- Law Enforcement Officer
Program Partners and Personnel
- Existence of planning and oversight committee:
- No (please proceed to question 17)
- Mental health or advocacy agencies that participate in program:
- Community Crisis Center, Billings Clinic
- Written agreement of roles and procedures:
- Yes
- Recruitment and selection:
- Officers volunteer and some are selected.
- Program coordinator/boundary spanner
- No
Training on Mental Health Issues
- Types of training on mental health issues:
-
- Pre-service training for new recruits at the academy
- 10
- varies
- Basic in-service training for select patrol officers
- varies
- varies
- none
- Advanced in-service training for select patrol officers
- 40
- unk
- 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
- 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
- Less lethal use of force options
- 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
- Other information on training:
- We really do not have a formalized program at this point. The department is in the process of trainnig additional officers in hopes that there will always be an officer(s) on duty with this specialized training.
Response Procedures
- Standardized dispatch questions:
- Not Sure
- Dispatch documentation:
- Document in central computer database used for all calls, such as a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system
- Incident documentation by responding officer:
-
- Record information in a field encounter form, or other form used to document every citizen encounter
- Record information in an arrest report
- Use of information on individuals' mental illness stored in police records:
- Only as an advisory for officer safety purposes.
- 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:
- The officer has the discretion when making transports.
- 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?
- Yes
- Location of drop-off center(s):
- Psychiatric emergency room in general hospital
- Drop-off center accepts people with co-occurring substance abuse disorders:
- Yes
- Length of time for drop-off and return to patrol:
- 31-45 minutes
Program Sustainability
- Data collection:
- No
- Published evaluation:
- No
- Local media coverage:
- Yes.
- Legislative funding or support:
- No
About this information:
A program representative provided this information details through a detailed survey.
For more information on the survey, read about our methodology or download a pdf of the full survey.
If you are a representative of a similar program not yet listed in our database, please register and take the survey to contribute your information.