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| Crisis & Intervention Training Begins for Santa Cruz Police Officers Date: October 9, 2001 The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill- Santa Cruz County have worked closely with the Santa Cruz Police Department and the County Mental Health to sponsor the first 25 Santa Cruz Police Officers to receive CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) Training in Santa Cruz County. Officers are often called upon to respond to crisis situations involving persons with serious mental illness. Approximately 40% of people suffering from mental illness will be arrested at least once in their lifetimes. Of those arrests, a high percentage will result from a serious crisis incident. The CIT acts as a model committed to preventing tragic situations and finding a “win-win” solutions for those experiencing mental crises. It is important that law enforcement agencies address the responsibility of evaluating situations, recognizing mental illness, and getting the mentally ill person who is in crisis to the proper treatment resources. The concept of the CIT was first established by Memphis PD with the goal of providing CIT officers with specialized mental health training under the instructional supervision of mental health professionals, family advocates, and mental health providers. CIT officers are able to respond to crisis incidents with a greater knowledge and understanding of how mental illness affects a given incident. The training consists of a 5 day, 40+ hour curriculum. Cruz Police Department, in cooperation with County Mental Health and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill- Santa Cruz County present the 1st Santa Cruz County Crisis Intervention Team. The Crisis Intervention Team provides 40 hours of POST approved, intensive training to officers handling situations involving persons with mental illness who are in crisis. CIT academies have been instituted in cities as diverse as Seattle, Portland, Alququerque and San Jose. It is our hope that the every officer in Santa Cruz County receive CIT training to better help those in crisis with severe mental illness and in doing so also help their families and our community.
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