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Cincinnati Mental Health Response Team
Quick Facts:
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- CINCINNATI POLICE DEPARTMENT
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 1075
- 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:
- APPROX. 200
Cincinnati Mental Health Response Team
Contact:
- Name:
- Anthony Carter
- Title:
- Assistant Training Section Commander
- Organization:
- Cincinnati Ploice Department
- Address:
- 800 Evans Street
Cincinnati, OH - Email:
- anthony.carter@cincinnati-oh.gov
- Phone:
- 513-352-3562
Agency Information
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- CINCINNATI POLICE DEPARTMENT
- Type of government that operates law enforcement agency:
- Township
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 1075
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 providers, often as members of a mobile crisis team, are called in by law enforcement to provide crisis intervention at the scene.
- Background information:
- OUR AGENCY WAS INVOLVED IN A COLLABORATIVE AGREEMENT. ONE OF THE TERMS OF THE COLLABORATIVE AGREEMENT WAS THAT WE WERE TO ESTABLISH A MENTAL HEALTH RESPONSE PROGRAM. THIS PROGRAM WAS DESIGNED AND IMPLEMENTED IN 90 DAYS AS DIRECTED IN THE AGREEMENT AND HAS BEEN OPERATING EFFICIENTLY SINCE.
- Total number of officers in program:
- APPROX. 200
- 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:
- Yes, formerly
- Committee participants:
-
- Law enforcement supervisory-level staff
- Mental health (and/or substance abuse) leadership
- Mental health or advocacy agencies that participate in program:
- PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY SERVICES / MCT
- Written agreement of roles and procedures:
- Yes
- Recruitment and selection:
- VOLUNTEER - BEGINNING JUNE 2007, ALL RECRUITS WILL BE MHRT TRAINED WHILE IN RECRUIT TRAINING
- Program coordinator/boundary spanner
- Yes. The program coordinator represents a law enforcement agency
Training on Mental Health Issues
- Types of training on mental health issues:
-
- Pre-service training for new recruits at the academy
- 40
- Basic in-service training for all patrol officers
- 4
- Basic in-service training for dispatchers and / or call takers
- 3
- Advanced in-service training for select patrol officers
- 4
- Number of officers who receive advanced training:
- 201-500
- 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.)
- De-escalation techniques
- Less lethal use of force options
- 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
- Videotapes
- Other information on training:
- WE ARE CURRENTLY TRANSFORMING OUR INSTRUCTION FROM LECTURE-BASED TO PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING.
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
- 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:
- N/A
- 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
- Officers allowed to transport a person without handcuffs:
- OUR PROCEDURE READS AS FOLLOWS (IN PART); "HANDCUFF SUSPECTED MENTALLY ILL INDIVIDUALS DURING THE TRANSPORTING AND PROCESSING PHASES WHEN THE INDIVIDUAL'S BEHAVIOR IS UNPREDICTABLE OR PAST CONTACT INDICATES THERE IN A POTENTIAL FOR VIOLENCE."
- 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:
- More than 45 minutes
Program Sustainability
- Data collection:
- Yes
- Published evaluation:
- No
- Local media coverage:
- WVXU, WCPO, WKCR, CITY BEAT NEWSPAPER, CINCINNATI ENQUIRER
- Legislative funding or support:
- No
About this information:
A program representative provided this information details through a detailed survey.
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