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Central Illinois Crisis Intervention Team
Quick Facts:
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- Springfield (IL) Police Department
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 280
- 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:
- 35 (approx.)
Central Illinois Crisis Intervention Team
Contact:
- Name:
- Michael A. Geiger
- Title:
- Deputy Chief
- Organization:
- Springfield (IL) Police Department
- Address:
- 800 E. Monroe
Springfield, IL - Email:
- mike.geiger@cwlp.com
- Phone:
- 217-788-8330
Agency Information
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- Springfield (IL) Police Department
- Type of government that operates law enforcement agency:
- Township
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 280
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:
- There is only one specialized response program in the jurisdiction.
- Background information:
- Our agency recognized the need to provide better service to persons with Mental Illnesses. We established a rapport with local mental health professionals, and provided agency-wide 'awareness' training. At the same time we developed and implemented a CIT, with a smaller group of select volunteer officers. It took us about 9 months from initiation of the project, to getting CIT staffed and operational.
- Total number of officers in program:
- 35 (approx.)
- 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:
- NAMI (local and State), Equip for Equality
- Written agreement of roles and procedures:
- Yes
- Recruitment and selection:
- Officers volunteer and all 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
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- Basic in-service training for all patrol officers
- Basic in-service training for dispatchers and / or call takers
- Advanced in-service training for select patrol officers
- 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
- 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
- Videotapes
- Virtual reality/computerized simulations of mental illness symptoms
- Other information on training:
- Beyond the fact that it is excellent? Seriously, we have looked at the Memphis model (including a site visit), myself and a few others went to Orlando, FL and participated in a CIT class, we are always looking for ways to improve ourselves. we (quite honestly) have a very good program. We are able to give persons with mental illnesses MUCH better service than had been delivered in the past.
Response Procedures
- Standardized dispatch questions:
- Yes
- Dispatch documentation:
- Do not document
- Incident documentation by responding officer:
- Record information on a form used only for mental health calls
- Use of information on individuals' mental illness stored in police records:
- It is not stored in police records. We have a file system available only to CIT members.
- 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:
- Discretionary, when the officer clearly thinks it is in the best interest of the consumer, and does not put the officer in an unsafe position.
- 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
- Location of drop-off center(s):
- General hospital emergency room
- Drop-off center accepts people with co-occurring substance abuse disorders:
- Yes
- Length of time for drop-off and return to patrol:
- More than 45 minutes
Program Sustainability
- Data collection:
- Yes
- 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.
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