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
Johanna Covault, LCSW, CIT Coordinator, Trauma and Justice Partnerships, Mecklenburg County Department of Public Health, 704-619-4496; Johanna.Covault@mecklenburgcountync.gov
Ebony Rao, LPC, CIT Clinical Supervisor, Trauma and Justice Partnerships, Mecklenburg County Department of Public Health 980-314-8617; ebony.rao@mecklenburgcountync.gov
Lt. Jeremiah Blow, Community Wellness Division, Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department
704-336-2059; cblow@cmpd.org
Major Daniel Johnson, Office of Professional Compliance, Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office
980-314-5007; Daniel.Johnson@mecklenburgcountync.gov
Community Partners
Health Alert: To prevent spread of COVID-19, County services are operating at a limited capacity.