How do crisis intervention teams benefit law enforcement agencies especially with regard to handling of mentally ill individuals?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary. According to various studies, between 7 percent and 10 percent of all police-public contacts involve people with mental illness. If law enforcement officers are not properly trained or otherwise prepared for these encounters, fatalities can result. To better prepare officers for dealing with such situations, a number of law enforcement agencies have instituted mandatory crisis intervention team (CIT) training programs. CIT teaches officers to recognize behavioral cues associated with mental illness and develop strategies of de-escalation, primarily with the goal of preventing the use of force against mentally ill civilians. More than three thousand state and local police departments have established crisis intervention teams, which often include the following elements:1. Law enforcement officers who have completed the CIT program.2. Access to mental health professionals who are "on call" to respond to police requests for assistance.3. Drop-off locations, such as hospitals or mobile crisis vehicles, that provide mental health services beyond the expertise of law enforcement agencies.It appears that the crisis intervention model is favorably viewed by police officers and can result in reduced arrest rates for mentally ill persons.