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Wake County Crisis Intervention Team
Quick Facts:
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- Wake Sheriffs Dept, Raleigh PD, Cary PD
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 1,000 RPD, 145 Cary PD, 350 Wake County Sheriffs Deputies
- 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:
- 2008
- Total number of officers in program:
- 30 officers in each class. 2 classes have been completed
Wake County Crisis Intervention Team
Contact:
- Name:
- Chris Wassmuth
- Title:
- CIT Co-ordinator
- Organization:
- Wake Sheriffs Department, Raleigh Police epartment, Cary Police Department
- Address:
- 3010 Falstaff Rd
Raleigh, NC - Email:
- cwassmuth@co.wake.nc.us
- Phone:
- 919-212-7528
Agency Information
- Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
- Wake Sheriffs Dept, Raleigh PD, Cary PD
- Type of government that operates law enforcement agency:
- State County & Municipal
- Approximate number of officers in agency:
- 1,000 RPD, 145 Cary PD, 350 Wake County Sheriffs Deputies
Specialized Response Description
- Program start year:
- 2008
- 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:
- Patnership between NAMI,County Mental Health, RaleighPD, Cary PD & Wake Co. Sheriffs Dept. All trained in Memphis. First class of 30 officers graduated 9/05 after 3-4 yrs of planning. 40 hrs.of trainings to be held quarterly, gradually bringing in other municipalities within the county.Currently actings as mentors for other areas of the state
- Total number of officers in program:
- 30 officers in each class. 2 classes have been completed
- Number of people with mental illness served:
- More than 500
- Catchment area:
- More than one jurisdiction
Program Partners and Personnel
- Existence of planning and oversight committee:
- Yes, currently
- Committee participants:
-
- Law enforcement line-level staff
- Law enforcement supervisory-level staff
- Mental health (and/or substance abuse) supervisory-level staff
- Mental health (and/or substance abuse) leadership
- Family members of consumers
- Advocates
- Mental health or advocacy agencies that participate in program:
- Chris Wassmuth LCSW, Gerry Akland NAMI, John Ely CFAC,Crystal Farrow Ann Oshel
- Written agreement of roles and procedures:
- Yes
- Recruitment and selection:
- Officers volunteer and some are selected.
- Program coordinator/boundary spanner
- Yes. The program coordinator represents a mental health agency
- same
Training on Mental Health Issues
- Types of training on mental health issues:
-
- Pre-service training for new recruits at the academy
- 4hrs
- Basic in-service training for dispatchers and / or call takers
- n/k
- Number of officers who receive advanced training:
- 51-100
- Groups who conducts advanced training:
-
- Police officers
- Mental health professionals (crisis workers)
- 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
- Ride-alongs
- Videotapes
- Virtual reality/computerized simulations of mental illness symptoms
- Other information on training:
- The program is less than a year old - but the enthusiasm remains high
Response Procedures
- Standardized dispatch questions:
- Not Sure
- Dispatch documentation:
- Not sure
- Incident documentation by responding officer:
- Record information on a form used only for mental health calls
- 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:
- Officer discretion
- 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
- Drop-off center accepts people with co-occurring substance abuse disorders:
- Yes
- Length of time for drop-off and return to patrol:
- 0-10 minutes
Program Sustainability
- Data collection:
- Yes
- Published evaluation:
- Program is still to new for a formal evaluation. Some interest by local universities and this will be pursued No
- Local media coverage:
- Very limited coverage. Cary News
- Legislative funding or support:
- No
- Key to the program's success:
- Having an outside program evaluation will add further legitamcy to our program and we want that partnership
About this information:
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