Montgomery County Crisis Intervention Team

Quick Facts:

Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
MCPD
Approximate number of officers in agency:
1100
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:
28% of patrol force

Montgomery County Crisis Intervention Team

Contact:

Name:
Joan Logan
Title:
CIT Coordinator
Organization:
Montgomery County Police Department
Address:
2350 Research Blvd
Rockville, MD 20850
Email:
joan.logan@montgomerycountymd.gov
Phone:
240-773-5057

Agency Information

Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
MCPD
Type of government that operates law enforcement agency:
Municipal
Approximate number of officers in agency:
1100

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:
We began our CIT program at the end of 2000. I attended the Memphis CIT program and then within two months we started our own program. We use MCT when the are available, but due to budget issues they are only available 16 hours a day. Our goal is to have mental health professionals available 24/7. Our officers can consult with a mental health professional 24/7 on a talkgroup on thier radio.
Total number of officers in program:
28% of patrol force
Number of people with mental illness served:
More than 500
Catchment area:
The entire jurisdiction
Funding source(s):
  • Police Department
  • Local Mental Health 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:
    HHS, corrections, 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:
  • Pre-service training for new recruits at the academy
  • 8 hrs
  • Basic in-service training for all patrol officers
  • 40 hrs
  • 3 hrs
  • Advanced in-service training for select patrol officers
  • 1hr
    • 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
  • 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 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

    Response Procedures

    Standardized dispatch questions:
    Not Sure
    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
    • Use of information on individuals' mental illness stored in police records:
    CIT report is not stored in police records. Only the CIT Coordinator has access to the reports. The Coordinator screens for high end users that are slipping through the gaps in services and for any advanced training needs for the officers.
    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:
    No. (proceed to question 38)
    Drop-off center accepts people with co-occurring substance abuse disorders:
    No
    Length of time for drop-off and return to patrol:
    21-30 minutes

    Program Sustainability

    Data collection:
    Yes
    Published evaluation:
    No
    Local media coverage:
    Washington Post, Gazette
    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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