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Fulton County Crisis Intervention Team
Quick Facts:
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- Fulton County Police Department
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 200
- 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:
- 30
Fulton County Crisis Intervention Team
Contact:
- Name:
- Paul Michaud
- Title:
- Lieutenant
- Organization:
- Fulton County Police Department
- Address:
- Atlanta, GA
- Email:
- pamchd@yahoo.com
- Phone:
- 404 612-1965
Agency Information
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- Fulton County Police Department
- Type of government that operates law enforcement agency:
- Municipal
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 200
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:
- The C.I.T. program was started in 2004 with the assistance of the GBI and NAMI. It is a ongoing process in that our department is going through downsizing with the incorporation of 3-4 new cities. Our program trains new officers in de escalation techniques for the mentally ill in crisis situations.
- Total number of officers in program:
- 30
- Number of people with mental illness served:
- 101-200
- Catchment area:
- Part of the jurisdiction
- Funding source(s):
- Police Department
- Staff supported by funding:
- Law Enforcement Officer
Program Partners and Personnel
- Existence of planning and oversight committee:
- Yes, currently
- Committee participants:
-
- Law enforcement supervisory-level staff
- Law enforcement leadership
- Mental health (and/or substance abuse) supervisory-level staff
- Mental health (and/or substance abuse) leadership
- Family members of consumers
- Advocates
- Mental health or advocacy agencies that participate in program:
- Georgia NAMI
- 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:
-
- Advanced in-service training for select patrol officers
- 40
- 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
- Videotapes
- 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 an arrest report
- Record information in log maintained by mental health personnel at the crisis drop-off location or by some other mental health organization
- Use of information on individuals' mental illness stored in police records:
- C.I.T reports are kept for tracking purposes and law enforcement officer information sharing.
- Mental health professional available to support police responder:
- 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.
- 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:
- 11-20 minutes
Program Sustainability
- Data collection:
- Yes
- Published evaluation:
- available through GBI
- Local media coverage:
- GBI
- 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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