Phoenix Police Department CIT

Quick Facts:

Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
phoenix pd
Approximate number of officers in agency:
3500
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:
aprx. 350 not accounting attrition

Phoenix Police Department CIT

Contact:

Name:
Nick Margiotta
Title:
Police Officer
Organization:
Phoenix Police Department
Address:
1902 S 16th St
Phoenix, AZ
Email:
nick.margiotta@phoenix.gov
Phone:
602-708-3647

Agency Information

Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
phoenix pd
Type of government that operates law enforcement agency:
Township
Approximate number of officers in agency:
3500

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:
Partnership between police deaprtment and Value Options, the Regional Behavior Heatlh Authority Started about 5 years ago due to the initiaitive of Lt. Steve Haynes and Eric Raider (of Value Options). Was a proactive devleopemnt, not in response to any one or series of negative events. H
Total number of officers in program:
aprx. 350 not accounting attrition
Catchment area:
The entire jurisdiction
Funding source(s):
  • Police Department
  • Community Mental Health Service Provider
    • 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:
    VO, NAMI, META, EMPACT, Dept Health Services, Family Members, Community Bridges, State Hospital, Mental Heatlh Court, SMI Probation Dept, PATH, Day Resource Center
    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 & Lt. Anthony Vasquez

    Training on Mental Health Issues

    Types of training on mental health issues:
  • Pre-service training for new recruits at the academy
  • Basic in-service training for all patrol officers
  • Basic in-service training for select patrol officers
  • Basic in-service training for dispatchers and / or call takers
  • Advanced in-service training for select patrol officers
  • 40
    • Number of officers who receive advanced training:
    201-500
    Groups who conducts advanced training:
    • Police officers
    • Mental health professionals (crisis workers)
    • 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
    • Videotapes
    • Virtual reality/computerized simulations of mental illness symptoms
    Other information on training:
    has expanded to provide training to numerous other police departments and offers guideance to agencies outside metro area who are interested in developing their own model. Allow limited students to come from City Park Ranger staff due to high involvement w/ smi & co-occuring population and quasi-enforcment postiions Allow limited students to come from Downtown Area "Good Will Ambassadors" due to almost daily contact with large population of chroncially hoemless, smi, substance abusive & co-occuring indiviudals. Allows for de-escalation and prevention of police involvement that in the past would have ferquenlty resulted in a police contact. They also have access to nearly all of the same community resources avialabe to police. Through program have provided some training to provider organizations on how their "piece" fits into the entire "system" and what can be expected from MH system and police involvment.

    Response Procedures

    Standardized dispatch questions:
    Not Sure
    Dispatch documentation:
  • Not sure
    • Incident documentation by responding officer:
    • Record information in a field encounter form, or other form used to document every citizen encounter
    • Record information in an arrest report
    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:
    courtesy tranpsport...at officers descrition.
    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
    • Length of time for drop-off and return to patrol:
    11-20 minutes

    Program Sustainability

    Data collection:
    No
    Published evaluation:
    No
    Local media coverage:
    Yes.
    Legislative funding or support:
    No
    About this information:

    A program representative provided this information details through a detailed survey.

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