Exploring Statewide Implementation of CIT

Melissa ReulandSenior Research Consultant

Council of State Governments Justice Center

Mark Munetz, M.D.Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy

Louise PyersConnecticut Alliance to Benefit Law Enforcement (CABLE)

Detective Ron BrunoSalt Lake City Police Department

June 1, 2010

The Situation Today

Law enforcement officers lacko information and skills to de-escalate criseso reliable and efficient access to mental health services

Calls for service involving people with mental illnesses are complex, time-consuming, and potentially dangerous

The largest psychiatric inpatient facilities in the United States today are actually jails—Rikers Island in New York City and the Los Angeles County Jail

What are Specialized Policing Responses (SPRs)?

SPR programs include:

Crisis Intervention Teams—A self-selected cadre of officers is trained to identify signs and symptoms of mental illness, de-escalate the situation and bring the person in crisis to an efficient, round-the clock treatment center.

Co-responder Teams—A specially-trained officer pairs with a mental health professional to respond to the scene of a crisis involving mental illness.

Outcomes

Reduced SWAT call outs Reduced arrest rates Reduced officer injuries Increased access to mental

health services

Statewide CIT Implementation

BJA-funded project began in October 2009. Methods:

Identify states engaged in statewide approach (8 in full implementation mode and 5 in planning stages)

Select three states for on-site, in-depth data collection

Conduct site visits and interview state-level planners and coordinators, and representatives from local jurisdictions

Selection criteria

Project staff selected three states for site visits based on the following criteria. The statewide effort must be: Comprehensive: Coordinators accomplish more than three

activities Experienced: State has been engaged in statewide model for

more than 3 years Effective: At least 20% of law enforcement agencies have

trained officers Diverse: State lead agency is different (such as mental health,

advocacy or law enforcement), geography varies and activities range, there is variation in programs at the local level and they are not dogmatic about training and model.

Willing and able to participate in study.

Presentation overview

Describe statewide implementation efforts and their collaboration structure and partnerships, staffing and resources, and goals.

Discuss advantages and disadvantages of statewide implementation.

State representatives will detail their states’: lead organization; strategies for recruiting jurisdictions throughout the state; mechanisms to ensure localities adhere to the core elements; and assistance offered to localities to sustain their programs.

State-level collaboration structure

Lead organization is from one of the three main stakeholder groups: mental health, law enforcement and advocacy.

Additional partners include a range of mental health and criminal justice agencies, as well as advocates, legislative members and citizens.

Meet quarterly or as necessary to address problems and track progress.

State-level staffing and funding

Funding is obtained through state, local and federal grants.

Staffing is often volunteer at the start. Once more funding is acquired, programs staff –at minimum -- a coordinator to oversee recruitment and training.

State-level goals

To reach entire state.

Advantages of statewide efforts

State governments are well-positioned to make resources and technical assistance available to local law enforcement to improve responses.

States allocate the vast majority of mental health resources.

State law authorizes police powers for emergency mental health evaluations and custody.

States are uniquely positioned to provide ongoing support to communities—not more state mandates, but incentives for innovative partnerships among law enforcement, the community, and the mental health system.

Statewide coordination can facilitate regional pooling of resources, which could particularly benefit rural areas.

A statewide structure could help ensure that more than a smattering of jurisdictions will implement programs to improve responses to people with mental illnesses.

Disadvantages of statewide efforts

It is possible to lose control over how programs are implemented, which may affect intended outcomes.

They rely on persuading communities to activate programs across the state. This is in contrast to programs that are developed in response to local needs or challenges, which may affect sustainability.

If they focus solely on CIT, they may not appeal to communities with different philosophies, resources or perceived problems, which may affect the number of communities that improve the police response to people with mental illnesses.

State presentations

State representatives will detail their states’: lead organization; strategies for recruiting jurisdictions

throughout the state;mechanisms to ensure localities adhere to

the core elements; and assistance offered to localities to

sustain their programs.

Contact Information

Melissa ReulandSenior Research Consultantmelissareuland86@gmail.comwww.consensusproject.orgwww.policeforum.org

Louise PyersFounder, Statewide CIT Program Coordinator and Executive Director CABLE

Email: cable@cableweb.org

Mark R. Munetz, M.D.Margaret Clark Morgan Endowed Chair of PsychiatryNortheastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and PharmacyMark Munetz <mmunetz@neoucom.edu>

Detective Ron BrunoStatewide Cit CoordinatorSalt Lake City Police Departmentron.bruno@slcgov.com