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About Training...
Mental Health America provides training programs for law enforcement officers about safe and effective interaction with persons who are mentally ill and in crisis. Programs include the 40-hour CIT (Crisis Intervention Team)/Mental Health Response Team programs, an 8-hour in-service day, or programs designed to fit your needs. For more information, schedule of upcoming training programs or to set up a training program contact Liz Atwell at 513-721-2910 or email at eatwell@mhaswoh.org.
Why CIT/MHRT?
Generally 10% of police calls will involve someone with a mental illness. The safety of law enforcement and other criminal justice professionals, persons with mental illness, and citizens can be compromised when officers are not adequately prepared to respond to such calls. The goal of CIT is to promote safety by:
1) Educating law enforcement on mental illnesses
2) Having officers learn about the characteristics associated with untreated mental illnesses and practice skills designed to deescalate certain behaviors
According to the Bureau of Statistics, approximately 54% of the population in state prisons, federal prisons, and local jails are mentally ill individuals. And on average, about 25% of those individuals receive any kind of treatment. Additionally, criminal justice professionals do not recieve adequate special populations trainng in order to keep individuals on traget with community treatment and out of the criminal justice system. As a proactive program, MHA works to create "win-win" solutions for all persons involved.
CIT is not just for police officers but also benefical for all other types of first responders.
*Funded in part by the Hamilton County Mental Health & Recovery Services Board, The City of Cincinnati, Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services, and private donations.
Cincinnati Police Officer Receives
CIT Officer of the Year Award
Columbus – Cincinnati Police Officer Lindsay Anderson received the 2010 Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Officer of the Year Award. The award was presented by Attorney General Richard Cordray on Wednesday, September 1st at CIT Advanced Training Conference in Columbus, Ohio. CIT is a specialized training program in which law enforcement officers are educated about mental illness and substance abuse and learn skills to deescalate certain individuals in crisis situations.
"This award is our way of publicly expressing our appreciation to Officer Anderson for serving as a role model for CIT officers around Ohio. His commitment to helping those in his community with mental illness has a profound impact not only on those individuals, but on their loved ones and the members of the community at large,” said Terry Russell, Interim Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Ohio (NAMI Ohio).
Before presenting the award, Attorney General Cordray shared the story of a situation in which Officer Anderson saved a woman’s life who was threatening to kill herself.
According to Lt. Bruce Hoffbauer, who nominated Officer Anderson, “Because of his expertise in handling situations involving someone experience a mental health crisis, Officer Anderson is repeatedly called on to assist in these situations.”
“Officer Anderson’s approach to CIT is exactly what was envisioned by the founders of Crisis Intervention Teams in Memphis twenty years ago,” said Mark Munetz, Director of the Ohio Criminal Justice Center of Coordinating Excellence.
The first CIT program began in Memphis, Tennessee in 1988, in response to the shooting death a year earlier of a 27-year-old man with mental illness in an incident with the Memphis Police Department. This shooting outraged the community and from this community crisis emerged a new way of doing business for both the police and mental health community.
“Today, law enforcement, mental health professionals and advocates are collaborating in communities throughout Ohio to provide training to help police officers identify and respond to calls involving someone experiencing a mental health crisis,” Munetz said.
To Schedule Training
MHA will tailor training to fit your needs. Listed below are several options currently available:
- 4 hour Refresher Training: a half day training for those currently trained in CIT/MHRT. This training reviews skills learned in the forty hour training and introduces some follow up concepts.
- 2 hour Training: targeting criminal justice professionals who need an overview or introduction to mental illness/disorders, and a few simple ways to best work with these individuals.
- 1.5-2 hour "Live Your Life Well" Training: Brief training on self-care that is specific to criminal justice professionals. Teaches self care, PTSD prevention, and positive coping skills.
Upcoming Training Announcements: CIT/MHRT Training
- September 20-24, 2010 from 8:30-4:30 at Cincinnati Police Academy
- November 8-12, 2010 from 8:30-4:30 at Springfield Township Police Department
New Research Just Released:
Americans with severe mental illnesses are three times more likely to be in jail or prison than in a psychiatric hospital, according to "More Mentally Ill Persons Are in Jails and Prisons Than Hospitals: A Survey of the States," a new report by the Treatment Advocacy Center and the National Sheriffs’ Association. link to article
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