If you or someone you know is currently in crisis, please call 911 and ask for a CIT officer or Mobile Crisis at 704-566-3410 and Select Option 1.
A pre-booking Jail Diversion Program
CIT is a community-based collaboration between law enforcement, mental health agencies, consumers and family members, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)-Charlotte, and Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC).
Law Enforcement Officers are frequently front-line responders to persons in crisis with a serious mental illness. In an effort to better prepare officers to respond to these individuals, a number of communities (more than 500 in the US) have developed a
Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program. These initiatives are modeled after the parent program which began in 1988 in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Three Components of CIT Programs:
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Intensive training - Police officers and other first responders receive up to 40 hours of training regarding mental illness, co-occurring disorders, and response strategies.
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Strong mental health partnerships – Police and mobile crisis workers who respond to people in crisis seek viable options for linking individuals with mental health treatment in lieu of arrest.
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Significant mental health consumer and family involvement - Consumer and family advocates are integrally involved in the design and implementation of local CIT programs.
CIT is a specialized law enforcement response to people in a serious mental health crisis.
Carefully selected volunteer patrol officers receive Crisis Intervention Team training in a 40-hour certification course where they learn:
- Recognizing signs of mental illness for persons in crisis
- Basic diagnosis and medication knowledge
- Verbal de-escalation skills
- Community resource information
- How CIT works and how it fits into each department’s operations
CIT Step by Step
- Family member or other person calls 911 for mental health crisis.
- Patrol Officer dispatched; if a mental health crisis is identified a CIT officer is called to the scene.
- CIT Officer assesses situation utilizing verbal de-escalation and other learned skills then determines best course of action; if more extensive mental health assessment is needed Mobile Crisis can be called to the scene.
- Mental health consumer receives appropriate services - coordination with Criminal Justice System maintains accountability.
CIT Program Contacts
These are not emergency contacts.
John Osborn, LCSW, CIT Coordinator and Veteran Specialist, Trauma and Justice Partnerships, Mecklenburg County Department of Public Health, 704-564-3519, john.osborn@mecklenburgcountync.gov
Ebony Rao, LPC, CIT Program Manager, Trauma and Justice Partnerships, Mecklenburg County Department of Public Health 980-314-8617;
ebony.rao@mecklenburgcountync.gov
Lt. Amy Temples, Community Wellness Division, Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, 704-432-5490; amy.baswell@cmpd.org
Major Daniel Johnson, Office of Professional Compliance, Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office 980-314-5007;
Daniel.Johnson@mecklenburgcountync.gov
Community Partners