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Denver Crisis Intervention Team
Quick Facts:
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- Denver Police Department
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 1400
- 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:
- 550 mid 2007
Denver Crisis Intervention Team
Contact:
- Name:
- Leigh Sinclair
- Title:
- Program Administrator/Crisis Intervention Team
- Organization:
- Denver Police Department
- Address:
- 1331 Cherokee Street/Chief's Office
Denver, CO - Email:
- sinclairl@ci.denver.co.us
- Phone:
- 720/913-6161
Agency Information
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- Denver Police Department
- Type of government that operates law enforcement agency:
- Township
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 1400
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:
- Chief began looking into options in 200. In 2002 DPD CIT held first class. In 2004 mental health therapist hired to work in Chief's office with officers on program-training classes, answering calls with officers, training 911 call takers and dispatchers, making referrals.
- Total number of officers in program:
- 550 mid 2007
- Catchment area:
- The entire jurisdiction
- Funding source(s):
- Police Department
- Staff supported by funding:
- MH Service Provider (e.g. case manager, social worker)
Program Partners and Personnel
- Existence of planning and oversight committee:
- No (please proceed to question 17)
- Written agreement of roles and procedures:
- No
- Recruitment and selection:
- Officers are assigned.
- 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
- 8
- Basic in-service training for select patrol officers
- 45
- Basic in-service training for dispatchers and / or call takers
- 16
- Advanced in-service training for select patrol officers
- 24 possible
- Number of officers who receive advanced training:
- 1-50
- Groups who conducts advanced training:
-
- Mental health professionals (crisis workers)
- Medical professionals (doctors or nurses)
- Consumers
- 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
- Suicide prevention
- Advanced training methods:
-
- Presentations (including panels, lectures, and/or PowerPoints)
- Role plays
- Virtual reality/computerized simulations of mental illness symptoms
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 on a form used only for mental health calls
- 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:
- Follow up for support and referral options
- 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:
- No
- 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):
-
- Psychiatric emergency room in general hospital
- 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:
- 21-30 minutes
Program Sustainability
- Data collection:
- Yes
- Published evaluation:
- No
- Local media coverage:
- City Council meetings, articles with positive stories of CIT outcomes
- 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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