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Montgomery County Police Crisis Intervention Team
Quick Facts:
Description
The MCPD CIT unit is a volunteer group of officers trained in de-escalation techniques and resources for mentally ill consumers. We also offer a state certified 40 CIT course for police, corrections and social workers who work with law enforcement.- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- Montgomery County Police
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 1158
- 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:
- 2001
- Total number of officers in program:
- 575
- Criminal Justice System Focus
- Crisis Intervention
Montgomery County Police Crisis Intervention Team
Contact:
- Name:
- Scott Davis
- Title:
- Crisis Intervention Team Coordinator
- Address:
- 2350 Reasearch Blvd
Rockville, Maryland 20850 - Email:
- scott.a.davis@montgomerycountymd.gov
- Phone:
- 240-773-5057
Agency Information
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- Montgomery County Police
- Type of government that operates law enforcement agency:
- County or Parish
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 1158
Specialized Response Description
- Program start year:
- 2001
- 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:
- The program was researched in 2000 with implementation in 2001. Training began in 2001 with our patrol and county mobile crisis team together. Our mobile crisis team went full service (24 hours) in 2008.
- Total number of officers in program:
- 575
- Number of people with mental illness served:
- 51-100
- Catchment area:
- More than one jurisdiction
- Funding source(s):
-
- Police Department
- Local Mental Health Department
- Staff supported by funding:
Program Partners and Personnel
- Existence of planning and oversight committee:
- Yes, currently
- Committee participants:
-
- Law enforcement line-level staff
- Mental health (and/or substance abuse) supervisory-level staff
- Mental health or advocacy agencies that participate in program:
- NAMI of Montgomery County
- Written agreement of roles and procedures:
- No
- 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:
-
- 4
- 2
- Advanced in-service training for select patrol officers
- 40
- Advanced in-service training for dispatchers and / or call takers
- 40
- Number of officers who receive advanced training:
- More than 500
- 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
- Virtual reality/computerized simulations of mental illness symptoms
- Other information on training:
- Our CIT training program is open to all local, state and federal agencies. Please contact the coordinator for class dates.
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:
-
- 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:
- intel/threat assesment
- 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?
- Yes
- Location of drop-off center(s):
-
- Psychiatric emergency / crisis center
- 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:
- More than 45 minutes
Program Sustainability
- Data collection:
- Yes
- Published evaluation:
- No
- Local media coverage:
- all local newspapers
- Legislative funding or support:
- No
About this information:
A program representative provided this information details through a detailed survey.
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