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Broward Sheriff's Office Crisis Intervention Team
Quick Facts:
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- Broward Sheriff's Office
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 1800
- 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:
- 100
Broward Sheriff's Office Crisis Intervention Team
Contact:
- Name:
- Brian Faer
- Title:
- CIT Coordinator
- Organization:
- Broward Sheriff's Office
- Address:
- 701 SW 71 Ave
North Lauderdale, FL - Email:
- Brian_Faer@sheriff.org
- Phone:
- 954-722-5800
Agency Information
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- Broward Sheriff's Office
- Type of government that operates law enforcement agency:
- Municipal
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 1800
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:
- Police officers are trained to provide crisis intervention services and to act as liaisons to the mental health system.
- Background information:
- The crisis intervention team started at the Broward Sheriff's Office in 2004.
- Total number of officers in program:
- 100
- Number of people with mental illness served:
- More than 500
- Catchment area:
- More than one jurisdiction
- Funding source(s):
- Sheriff's Department
- Staff supported by funding:
- Law Enforcement Officer
Program Partners and Personnel
- Existence of planning and oversight committee:
- Yes, currently
- Committee participants:
- Mental health or advocacy agencies that participate in program:
- Henderson Mental Health, Broward County Office of Consumer Affairs, Broward County Regional Healthcare planning
- Written agreement of roles and procedures:
- Yes
- Recruitment and selection:
- Officers volunteer and some are selected.
- Program coordinator/boundary spanner
- Yes. The program coordinator represents a law enforcement agency
- Same
Training on Mental Health Issues
- Types of training on mental health issues:
-
- Pre-service training for new recruits at the academy
- app. 4-8 hrs
- Advanced in-service training for select patrol officers
- 40 hrs initiall course - 8 hrs annually
- 8 hrs
- Number of officers who receive advanced training:
- 51-100
- Groups who conducts advanced training:
-
- Police officers
- Mental health professionals (crisis workers)
- Medical professionals (doctors or nurses)
- Consumers
- 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
- Videotapes
Response Procedures
- Standardized dispatch questions:
- Yes
- Dispatch documentation:
- Document in central computer database used for all calls, such as a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system
- Incident documentation by responding officer:
- Relay information to dispatch who records it in general computer database used for all calls, such as a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system
- Use of information on individuals' mental illness stored in police records:
- If the consumer has had prior violent encounters with law enforcement, the address is "red flagged" so that responding deputies will know to use caution
- Mental health professional available to support police responder:
- Yes, on site (e.g. mobile crisis team)
- 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
- Officers allowed to transport a person without handcuffs:
- Non-violent consumer
- 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 / crisis center
- Length of time for drop-off and return to patrol:
- 31-45 minutes
Program Sustainability
- Data collection:
- Yes
- Published evaluation:
- Yes.
- Local media coverage:
- No
- 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.
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