Crisis Intervention

Several communities throughout Florida are adopting or have adopted the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Memphis Model for law enforcement training. This model is proving to be the best practice for effective response by law enforcement to assist people with mental illness who are in crisis. This training model is a 40 hour intensive and interactive program for patrol officers, which sets up a team concept of trained CIT officers to be the first responders to calls that involve persons with a mental illness. The premise of this model is to a minimum of one or two CIT trained officers on every shift in town 24/7. The Oakland Police Department participates in the CIT model by actively trying to maintain 100% of all its full-time officers trained in CIT as well as getting as many of our Reserve Officers trained as possible.

The CIT training is clearly a community collaborative between law enforcement, mental health provider systems, hospitals, and families/consumers. It is very much a grass roots venture.

The CIT training emphasizes understanding of mental illness, including substance abuse disorders and how it affects a person's life, the development of communication skills, practical experience and role playing. Also officers are exposed to mental health professionals, consumers and family members both in the classroom and in the field during site visits.

This intensive training attempts to provide a common base of knowledge about mental illness and give the officers a basic foundation from which to build. The course is intended to provide officers with skills to:

• Recognize signs and symptoms of mental illness and co-occurring disorders.
• Recognize whether those signs and symptoms represent a crisis situation.
• De-escalate mental illness crisis.
• Know where to take the consumers in crisis.
• Learn about jail diversion options.
• Know appropriate steps to follow-up, such as contacting case managers, providing families with community resources.
• Learn how to problem solve withi the treatment system.

What should you do if you have a family member/friend in crisis due to a mental illness or substance abuse issue?

When calling 911, ask for a CIT trained officer and one will be dispatched if available.

Who can I call if I have questions about services available in the community? Or if I have questions about a baker act, Marchman act, or ex-parte order?

The Oakland Police Department CIT Coordinator is Ofc. Steven Valente. He currently works a rotating day shift schedule and can be reached at 407-656-9797 x41 or at svalente@oaklandpd.com