Specialized Policing Responses: Law Enforcement/Mental Health Learning Sites
Jurisdictions across the country are exploring strategies to improve the outcomes of encounters between law enforcement and people with mental illnesses. These efforts took root in the late 1980s, with the emergence of crisis intervention teams (CIT) and co-response models. As a growing number of communities engage in the development of specialized policing responses (SPRs), many grapple with the program design process, and are unsure how to tailor models from other jurisdictions to their own distinct problems and circumstances.
In an effort to expand the knowledge base for law enforcement agencies interested in starting or enhancing a SPR, the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, with assistance from a team of national experts and the U.S. Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), selected six police departments to act as national law enforcement/mental health learning sites. Located across the country, these learning sites represent a diverse cross-section of perspectives and program examples, and are dedicated to helping other jurisdictions across the country improve their responses to people with mental illnesses.
Houston Police Department Total number of agency personnel: 7,000 Sworn: 5,200 Civilian: 1,800 Total population served: 2.3 million Jurisdiction and state: Houston, Texas
Program Highlights • Multi-layered approach including CIT, co-responder, and follow-up teams • Comprehensive dispatcher training • State-mandated mental health training for all officers The Houston Police Department (HPD) has operated its multi-faceted response strategies in coordination with mental health partners since 1999. This SPR is a collaborative effort between the HPD and the mental health community in Houston, which includes the Mental Health America of Greater Houston and the Mental Health Mental Retardation Authority (MHMRA) of Harris County. Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Program The HPD reports that its CIT program is based on the Memphis Model and is the largest CIT program in the country. The program is driven by law enforcement, with assistance from mental health professionals, consumers, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). They use a hybrid approach for selecting which officers will be trained; participation is voluntary for veteran officers, but mandated for new officers. The CIT training uses professional actors to engage participants in role-play exercises. In addition to the forty-hour CIT training, HPD also offers the following training programs: • Advanced CIT training, an eight-hour annual refresher training for CIT officers • Train-the-trainer CIT course • Training for call-takers and dispatchers (sixteen hours) • Annual training for jail staff • Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education (TCLEOSE) required CIT refresher course (#3843)
Crisis Intervention Response Team (CIRT) Program The CIRT Program is a co-responder program, in which a CIT officer partners with a licensed mental health professional to respond to calls and conduct proactive and follow-up investigations. CIRT teams respond to all SWAT calls, as well as to the most serious mental health-related calls. There is an eight-hour bimonthly crosstraining for the officers and mental health professionals involved. Chronic Consumer Stabilization Initiative (CCSI) CCSI is a law enforcement-led program designed to divert people from jail when appropriate, and works to stabilize consumers by helping to meet their basic needs. This program identifies people with chronic mental illnesses that are in frequent contact with HPD officers, and pairs these consumers with a mental health case manager. CCSI won the International Association of Chiefs of Police Community Policing Award and was a finalist for the Herman Goldstein Problem Oriented Policing Award for Excellence.
To learn more about the Houston Police Department and their initiatives, contact: Name Frank Webb Rebecca Skillern Title Sr. Police Officer Police Officer 1200 Travis 1200 Travis Address Houston, TX 77002 Houston, TX 77002 Phone (281) 230-2456 (281) 230-2454 E-mail Frank.Webb@cityofhouston.net Rebecca.Skillern@cityofhouston.net
To learn more about the Law Enforcement/Mental Health Learning Sites, coordinated by the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center and supported by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), visit www.consensusproject.org/learningsites or contact Whitney Kujawa (wkujawa@csg.org/240-482-8577). For more information about law enforcement responses to people with mental illnesses, visit www.consensusproject.org/issue_areas/law-enforcement.
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