Officers learn best ways to respond to mentally ill in emergencies
Crisis Intervention Team provides training to give officers knowledge, understanding
Law enforcement officers from Hamilton County who participated in the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training graduated today in the University Center Auditorium at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
CIT is a joint program bringing together local law enforcement and community mental health services to teach responders how to deal with mentally ill people in emergency situations.
"They've actually been able to do a lot of diversion and keep these people out of jail and get them where they need to be," Dr. Jane Gumnick, a psychiatrist who works as a teacher and advisor for the CIT, said.
The officers involved in the program were chosen through a strict selection process, Gumnick said.
"They have to really want to do it," Gumnick said. "But it's important, they break down a lot of barriers."
The 22 graduating members became the fourth group to graduate the Chattanooga program, which began in 2009.
Out of 287 recorded incidents, only one CIT officer has been injured, according to Rick Mathis, Director of Research and Analysis for the Ochs Center.
