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Rochester Crisis Intervention Team
Quick Facts:
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- Rochester Police Department
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 130
- 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:
- 2007
- Total number of officers in program:
- 24
Rochester Crisis Intervention Team
Contact:
- Name:
- James Pittenger
- Title:
- Patrol Captain
- Organization:
- Rochester Police Department
- Address:
- 101 SE 4th Street
Rochester, MN - Email:
- jpittenger@ci.rochester.mn.us
- Phone:
- 507-285-8271
Agency Information
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- Rochester Police Department
- Type of government that operates law enforcement agency:
- Township
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 130
Specialized Response Description
- Program start year:
- 2007
- 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 program started as a City/County effort to provide a coordinated response to mental health issues; including emergency response and appropriate placement. The County received grant funding for a secure facility and training for law enforcement, detention, mental health and social services personnel. The planning process took 9 to 12 months. There current are personnel and facilities in place, with additional training planned to expand law enforcement involvement.
- Total number of officers in program:
- 24
- Number of people with mental illness served:
- 101-200
- Catchment area:
- The entire jurisdiction
- Funding source(s):
-
- Police Department
- Sheriff's Department
- Local Mental Health Department
- Community Mental Health Service Provider
- Federal grant funds
- Staff supported by funding:
-
- Law Enforcement Officer
- MH Service Provider (e.g. case manager, social worker)
- Medical professional (e.g. nurse, doctor)
- Program Coordinator
Program Partners and Personnel
- Existence of planning and oversight committee:
- No (please proceed to question 17)
- Written agreement of roles and procedures:
- No
- Recruitment and selection:
- Officers volunteer and some are selected.
- Program coordinator/boundary spanner
- coordinator represents detention
Training on Mental Health Issues
- Types of training on mental health issues:
-
- Basic in-service training for all patrol officers
- 8 hours
- 40 hours
- Advanced in-service training for select patrol officers
- 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)
- Advocates
- 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
- Ride-alongs
- Videotapes
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 in an arrest report
- Use of information on individuals' mental illness stored in police records:
- Information about illness/disabilities for emergency responders
- Mental health professional available to support police responder:
-
- Yes, remotely by telephone or dispatch (e.g. a crisis worker or psychiatric emergency room personnel)
- 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:
- Involved officers decide based on circumstances of incident
- 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?
- No
- 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:
- 11-20 minutes
Program Sustainability
- Data collection:
- Yes
- Published evaluation:
- No
- Local media coverage:
- Rochester Post Bulletin
- 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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