What is CIT?

The Crisis Intervention Team (Memphis Model) movement started in Memphis, Tennessee in 1988 and has rapidly grown into more than 600 communities nationwide. In Kansas, Crisis Intervention Teams have been established in Hutchinson/Reno County, Emporia/Lyon County, Johnson County, Topeka/Shawnee County, and Wichita/Sedgwick County.

CIT programs represent a local partnership between law enforcement agencies, mental health providers, and consumer and family organizations with two primary objectives: public safety and the diversion of mental health consumers from the criminal justice system and into treatment.

A primary activity of local CIT Councils is providing training for law enforcement officers, whether a police officer, correctional officer, parole or probation officer, regarding an understanding of mental illness, how to work with an individual with mental illness in crisis and what resources to call upon for assistance. With such training and a coordinated effort among CIT Council partner agencies, the likelihood of diverting that individual toward needed mental health treatment is increased. Early and appropriate intervention is the single most important determinant of a healthy recovery which includes putting an end to the revolving door between psychiatric hospitals, the community and the justice system.

CIT programs also operate for the safety of mental health consumers and their family members as well as for the safety of first responders, mental health care providers, and the general public.

CIT Programs in Kansas

There are currently five CIT programs (Lyon, Johnson, Reno, Sedgwick and Shawnee counties) operating in Kansas with others being organized.  Click here for a link to a listing of the local programs and their contact information. 

• NAMI's CIT Technical Assistance Resource Center : www.nami.org/cit -- Provides the latest information about CIT and engages in national networking to establish standards and to promote the expansion of CIT.  Each of the following publications is downloadable from the NAMI this site. 

  CIT Advocacy Toolkit.   This toolkit includes basic facts on criminalization and CIT, media relations tools and information on how to fund your CIT program.
• Supporting Schools and Communities in Breaking the Prison Pipeline: A Guide to Emerging and Promising Crisis Intervention Programs for Youth.   This guide introduces the reader to crisis intervention programs for youth, and is based on the experiences of three communities where these programs are emerging.
• A Guide to Implementing Police-based Diversion Programs for People with Mental Illness.   This guide, produced by the Police Executive Research Forum, offers useful instructions for implementing police-based diversion programs, including CIT.
• Enhancing Success of Police-based Diversion Programs for People with Mental Illness.    This guide builds on the Police Executive Research Forum’s report listed above.
• Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Core Elements.   This document, developed by leaders in the CIT movement, lays out the core requirements for a CIT program, including the elements of acommunity partnership and the training course.

• KansasLaw Enforcement CIT Council: http://www.kansascit.org – Provides information about the CIT program serving Johnson County and for links to CIT training being sponsored by the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center.
• CIT International:http://www.citinternational.org -- a nonprofit membership organization established to facilitate understanding, development and implementation of CIT training programs throughout the U.S. and in other nations.
• MemphisPolice CIT:http://www.memphispolice.org/Crisis%20Intervention.htm
• Universityof Memphis CIT Center:http://cit.memphis.edu
•   The Criminal Justice/Mental Health Consensus Project:http://consensusproject.org/  -- A repository of information about all aspects of jail diversion, reentry, and enhanced treatment for offenders with mental illness.
• The National Gains Center:  http://gainscenter.samhsa.gov/html/ -- Information about access to community based services for adult's diagnosed with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders at all points of contact with the justice system.

CIT Training Calendar

As local CIT training classes are scheduled we will post them to this site.  CIT training being sponsored by the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center can be found on their training calendar at http://www.kletc.org