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Tucson Crisis Intervention Team Training
Quick Facts:
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- Tucson Police Department
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 1004
- 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:
- TPD officers 118 to date
Tucson Crisis Intervention Team Training
Contact:
- Name:
- Dr. Mary-Wales North
- Title:
- Department Psychologist
- Organization:
- Tucson Police Department
- Address:
- 270 S. Stone Ave.
Tucson, AZ - Email:
- Mary-Wales.North@tucsonaz.gov
- Phone:
- 520-791-4499 X 1647
Agency Information
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- Tucson Police Department
- Type of government that operates law enforcement agency:
- Township
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 1004
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 professionals partner with law enforcement officers to provide on-scene crisis intervention and referral.
- Background information:
- The spearhead for Crisis Intervention Team training was Joe Muscenski, following the tragedy when his suicidal son was killed by a law enforcement officer. Community group formed, including personnel from Tucson Police Department, University of AZ, social service agencies, area professionals, to develop the training, based on that of Memphis, TENN.
- Total number of officers in program:
- TPD officers 118 to date
- Number of people with mental illness served:
- More than 500
- Catchment area:
- The entire jurisdiction
- Funding source(s):
- Police Department
- 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, formerly
- Mental health or advocacy agencies that participate in program:
- SAMHC, CPSA, U of AZ
- 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
Training on Mental Health Issues
- Types of training on mental health issues:
-
- Pre-service training for new recruits at the academy
- 4
- Basic in-service training for all patrol officers
- 2
- Basic in-service training for dispatchers and / or call takers
- 3
- Advanced in-service training for all patrol officers
- Advanced in-service training for select patrol officers
- 40
- Advanced in-service training for dispatchers and / or call takers
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Ride-alongs
- Videotapes
- Virtual reality/computerized simulations of mental illness symptoms
- Other information on training:
- New program developments: We plan to develop a tracking system for mental health calls, numbers of calls handled by CIT officers. We plan to offer continuing training to our CIT-trained officers and make it mandatory, to retain their credential.
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
- Use of information on individuals' mental illness stored in police records:
- not sure
- Mental health professional available to support police responder:
-
- Yes, on site (e.g. mobile crisis team)
- 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:
- 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):
- 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:
- 21-30 minutes
Program Sustainability
- Data collection:
- Yes
- Published evaluation:
- No
- Local media coverage:
- Yes.
- Legislative funding or support:
- No
- Key to the program's success:
- We plan to develop tracking methods for our CIT program.
About this information:
A program representative provided this information details through a detailed survey.
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