About CIT

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Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) programs are community-based programs that bring together law enforcement, mental health professionals, mental health advocates (people living mental illness and their families), and other partners to improve community responses to mental health crises

Based on research to date, CIT has been shown to improve Officers’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviors in responding to behavioral health crises; demonstrate cost savings associated with deferred hospital and jail costs; and increase linkages to behavioral health services which contributes to improved individual, organizational and community outcomes. [1]


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Photos are of Missoula Fire Dept. attending the Crisis Intervention Team training held in April 2021

What are the goals of CIT?

  • To improve safety during law enforcement encounters with people experiencing a behavioral health crisis, for everyone involved.
  • To increase connections to effective and timely behavioral health services for people in behavioral health crisis.
  • To use law enforcement strategically during crisis situations—such as when there is an imminent threat to safety or a criminal concern—and increase the role of mental health professionals, peer support specialists, and other community supports.
  • To reduce the trauma that people experience during a behavioral health crisis and thus contribute to their long-term recovery.

Read more from CIT International...

Ongoing Elements

  • Partnerships: Law Enforcement, Advocacy, Mental Health, First Responders, Etc. 
  • Community Ownership: Planning, Implementation & Networking
  • Policies and Procedures

Operational Elements

  • CIT: Officer, Dispatcher, Coordinators
  • Curriculum: CIT Training, Mental Health First Aid for Public Safety and First Responders
  • Mental Health Receiving Facility: Emergency Services, No Wrong Door

Sustaining Elements

  • Evaluation and Research
  • In-Service Training
  • Recognition and Honors
  • Outreach: Developing CIT in Other Communities

CIT Training

Each year, CIT Coordinators host a 40-Hour Basic Academy. Its purpose is to assist law enforcement officers, detention staff, dispatchers and other emergency responders in engaging, assessing, and assisting individuals in crisis with mental health and/or co-occurring substance use disorders.  Upon graduating from the Academy, each participant receives a CIT Montana pin (silver or gold). This pin helps consumers and family members recognize a CIT trained and certified law enforcement officer or first responder.  For more information, please see the 2021 Academy Final Report.

New this year (2020), the CIT Program Manager is now offering an 8-HR Mental Health First Aid training to Public Safety and Fire/EMS audiences (Learn more about Mental Health First Aid by visiting this website.). She has provided four trainings in total thus far (3 Public Safety and 1 Fire/EMS). The training has been received very well by its participants as noted below.

CIT Highlights May-July 2021 Final