Law officers are on the frontline with people in crisis. Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training is a proven five-day, 40-hour program which introduces law officers to the range of mental illnesses, medications, experiences of people living with a mental illness and experiences of their families, local resources, and best practices which increase the safety of the officers as well as of the people they are assisting and of the community.

The primary target audience for CIT includes patrol officers in law enforcement agencies throughout La Crosse County and jailers at the La Crosse County Jail. The long-term goal is to train at least 25% of the officers in each law enforcement agency so that trained officers will be available on every shift to respond to mental health crises.

Communities which have incorporated CIT into their law enforcement agencies have seen:

• lower risk of injury to officers and others
  
• fewer repeat contacts with mental health consumers
  
• fewer 72-hour holds dropped due to not meeting required criteria for emergency detention
  
• enhanced working relationship with crisis workers
  
• reduced manpower and overtime use
  
• greater involvement of family and friends of the mental health consumer
  

Testimony from CIT Graduates

• “All presenters knew their area of mental health and presented things in a way that made learning this material much easier.”
  
• “The site visits opened my eyes as to what’s out there for us to use.”
  
• “The role play scenarios were very real, very much like situations we run into a lot of the time.”
  
• “This course has taught me that extra time might be needed with certain people. I will pass the good word on to my coworkers about this program.”