What is CIT?
"More Than Just a Training"
The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program is a community partnership of law enforcement, mental health and addiction professionals, individuals who live with mental illness and/or addiction disorders, their families, and other advocates. It is an innovative first-responder model of police-based crisis intervention training to help persons with mental disorders and/or addictions access medical treatment rather than place them in the criminal justice system due to illness-related behaviors. In 1988, The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model emerged in Memphis, Tennessee, and is often referred to as the “Memphis Model." This model promotes officer safety and the safety of the individual in crisis.
Memphis Model of CIT
Community collaboration
mental health providers, law enforcement, and people and families with lived experience
40-hour training program
Schedule​
Individual & family involvement
decision-making, planning training sessions, and leading
training sessions.​
CIT Course
Understanding behavioral health
Developing empathy
Navigating community resources
De-escalation skills
Practical application
Benefits of CIT
Developing positive perceptions & increased confidence among police officers
Increasing jail diversion among those with a mental illness
Improving the likelihood of treatment continuity with community-based providers, etc.