Connecticut Alliance To Benefit Law Enforcement

A bridge for collaboration between police and the communities they serve.

PDF Documents

CIT-trained Agencies in Connecticut

CIT Facts & Benefits

CIT FAQ

Core Elements of a Crisis Intervention Team

CABLE Training Partners

Connecticut Chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI)

Connecticut Criminal Law Foundation

DMHAS - The State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services

Crisis Intervention Team Training

Over the past 20 years, significant changes within our mental health system have had far reaching effects. While the movement of persons with mental illness from institutions to the community has been a positive change for most people with psychiatric disabilities, some of the most severely mentally ill have slipped through the cracks.

Left untreated, the sometimes irrational or dangerous behavior engaged by some individuals with mental illness makes it necessary for public safety personnel to respond.

The goal of the Crisis Intervention Team model, described as a best-practice model by the Police Executive Research Forum, is safety: for the community, the law enforcement officer and the person in crisis.

Not only does the program promote safety for all involved, it also links the person in crisis to services in the community whenever possible.

Proven Model

The Connecticut Alliance to Benefit Law Enforcement has delivered high quality, state-of-the-art Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) patrol specialist training to police officers across the state since 2003.

• CIT is specially designed for the patrol officer—the first responder.
• The training is delivered and supervised by POST certified instructors; officers receive POST credits for the training.

How It Works

Officers are selected from a list of volunteers from the patrol division and selection is organized to train enough officers to cover each shift.

• Candidates are chosen based on their police skill, compassion, patience and the ability to think creatively.
• Dispatchers, first line supervisors and management personnel should also take the training to ensure continuity and to develop a written CIT policy for their department.

The Training

One forty hour week of training covers:

• Mental illness and substance abuse
• The mental health system
• Safe de-escalation techniques
• Suicide by Cop
• Suicide assessment and prevention
• Children’s mental health and trauma
• Mental health and the law
• Excited delirium
• Real life family and consumer perspectives on living with mental illness

After the basic one-week training:

• Officers are designated to handle all calls involving persons in psychiatric crisis
• Officers receive periodic updates and annual advanced training

CABLE CIT Faculty

Madelon Baranoski, Ph.D; Christopher Burke, L.C.S.W.; Inspector Kenneth Edwards, Jr., Office of Chief State’s Attorney; In Our Own Voice, National Alliance on Mental Illness; Sara Locke, M.S.; Lieutenant Mark Poisson, Wethersfield PD; Louise C. Pyers, M.S.; Lieutenant Marshal “Chip” Segar, New London PD; Elliot B. Spector, Esq., CT Criminal Law Foundation; Visiting Faculty for regional CIT trainings

• Download eligibility criteria and application

Quick Facts

• Not a special “program” or “unit”
• Saves money and manpower
• Reduces officer injuries reduces litigation
• Can be implemented at low cost
• Increases public trust and satisfaction with police services
• Provides general knowledge beneficial to officers in managing a wide range of crisis situations.