Piscataquis Sheriff's Office Crisis Intervention Team

Quick Facts:

Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
Piscataquis Sheriff's Office
Approximate number of officers in agency:
30
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:
120

Piscataquis Sheriff's Office Crisis Intervention Team

Contact:

Name:
David C Harmon
Title:
Jail Administrator
Organization:
Piscataquis Sheriff's Office
Address:
52 Court St.
Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426
Email:
japcso@myfairpoint.net
Phone:
207-564-3304

Agency Information

Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
Piscataquis Sheriff's Office
Type of government that operates law enforcement agency:
County or Parish
Approximate number of officers in agency:
30

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:
There is only one specialized response program in the jurisdiction.
Background information:
Our program is based on the Memphis CIT model. The progrm was operational in approx 1 year from the outset. We now have all of our full time law enforcement, dispatchers and correction officers CIT trained. We also included EMS personal,and local police departments in our training classes.
Total number of officers in program:
120
Number of people with mental illness served:
51-100
Catchment area:
The entire jurisdiction
Funding source(s):
  • Federal grant funds
Staff supported by funding:
  • Law Enforcement Officer
  • MH Service Provider (e.g. case manager, social worker)

Program Partners and Personnel

Existence of planning and oversight committee:
Yes, currently
Committee participants:
  • Law enforcement supervisory-level staff
  • Mental health (and/or substance abuse) supervisory-level staff
  • Mental health (and/or substance abuse) leadership
  • Advocates
Mental health or advocacy agencies that participate in program:
NAMI ME, and Charlotte White Center
Written agreement of roles and procedures:
No
Recruitment and selection:
Officers volunteer and all are selected.
Program coordinator/boundary spanner
Yes. There are multiple program coordinators
Same,and Richard Brown, CEO, Charlotte White Center, Dover-Foxcroft, Me 04426

Training on Mental Health Issues

Types of training on mental health issues:
  • 40
  • Advanced in-service training for select patrol officers
  • Advanced in-service training for dispatchers and / or call takers
  • Adv. in-service for Corrections & EMS
  • 40
Number of officers who receive advanced training:
101-200
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
    • Other information on training:
    The basic Class has been offered on an annual basis with recert annually. Classes are limited to approx. 20 students with invitations to local police dept,EMS service, Sheriff's office employees, and the local Hospital ER personal.

    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
  • Document in paper files
    • 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:
    to record how many calls recieved and who and how individuals were refered. What was final out come,diversion or incarceration.
    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
    • Officers allowed to transport a person without handcuffs:
    Would depend on how the individuals behavior was and if they had been arrested or not.
    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):
  • 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:
    Local paper is the Piscataquis observer,Dover-Foxcroft,ME 04426
    Legislative funding or support:
    No
    Key to the program's success:
    NAMI Maine is currently offering simular training in the rest of the state of Maine. The Piscataquis regional CIT program was on its own funding source, which will run out the year under a Byrne Grant.
    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.

    If you are a representative of a similar program not yet listed in our database, please register and take the survey to contribute your information.

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