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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

  • 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.

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