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Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Crisis Intervention Team
Quick Facts:
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 570
- 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:
- 60
Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Crisis Intervention Team
Contact:
- Name:
- Larry W. Branson
- Title:
- Crisis Intervention Team Coordinator
- Organization:
- Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department
- Address:
- 201 Habersham Street
Savannah, GA - Email:
- larry_branson@savannahga.gov
- Phone:
- 912-651-2429
Agency Information
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department
- Type of government that operates law enforcement agency:
- Township
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 570
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:
- Fall, 2005 - Two members of the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department joined a collaborative (NAMI, GA Regional Hospital-Sav,et al)to visit Memphis, TN to learn about the CIT program. A Captain and Sergeant from the Department received the 40-hour CIT training and Instructor training and initiated a local collaboration with NAMI-Sav. Over 10 classes have been taught to date.
- Total number of officers in program:
- 60
- Number of people with mental illness served:
- 51-100
- Catchment area:
- More than one jurisdiction
- Funding source(s):
- Police Department
- Staff supported by funding:
- Law Enforcement Officer
Program Partners and Personnel
- Existence of planning and oversight committee:
- Yes, currently
- Committee participants:
-
- Law enforcement line-level staff
- Law enforcement supervisory-level staff
- Law enforcement leadership
- Mental health (and/or substance abuse) line-level staff
- Mental health (and/or substance abuse) supervisory-level staff
- Consumers of mental health services
- Advocates
- Mental health or advocacy agencies that participate in program:
- National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
- Written agreement of roles and procedures:
- Yes
- Recruitment and selection:
- Officers volunteer and all are selected.
- Program coordinator/boundary spanner
- Yes. There are multiple program coordinators
- Same + Diane Reeder - National Alliance for the Mentally Ill - Sav - 12 Commerce Place Savannah, GA 31406 912-353-7143
Training on Mental Health Issues
- Types of training on mental health issues:
-
- 0
- Basic in-service training for all patrol officers
- 1.5
- 1.5
- Basic in-service training for dispatchers and / or call takers
- 1.5
- 40
- 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:
- 51-100
- Groups who conducts advanced training:
-
- Police officers
- Mental health professionals (crisis workers)
- Medical professionals (doctors or nurses)
- Consumers
- 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
- Virtual reality/computerized simulations of mental illness symptoms
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 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:
- The information regarding a person's mental health status is used for statistical purposes only - to record the number of mental health calls received and their disposition.
- Mental health professional available to support police responder:
- Yes, remotely by telephone or dispatch (e.g. a crisis worker or psychiatric emergency room personnel)
- 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 room in general hospital
- Drop-off center accepts people with co-occurring substance abuse disorders:
- Yes
- Length of time for drop-off and return to patrol:
- 31-45 minutes
Program Sustainability
- Data collection:
- Yes
- Published evaluation:
- No
- Local media coverage:
- Savannah Morning News (SavannahNow.com)
- 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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