Crisis Intervention Team (CIT)

The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program is a community partnership of law enforcement, mental health and addiction professionals, individuals who live with mental illness and/or addiction disorders, their families, and other advocates. It is an innovative first-responder model of police-based crisis intervention training to help persons with mental disorders and/or addictions access medical treatment rather than place them in the criminal justice system due to illness-related behaviors. It also promotes officer safety and the safety of the individual in crisis.

CIT is a program that provides the foundation necessary to promote community and statewide solutions to assist individuals with mental illness and/or addictions. The CIT Model reduces both stigma and the need for further involvement with the criminal justice system. CIT provides a forum for effective problem solving regarding the interaction between the criminal justice and mental health care system and creates the context for sustainable change.

Research also shows that communities that prescribe to the CIT Program model, have higher success rates in resolving serious crisis situations. Click here to watch a video on What is CIT and Best practices from CIT International.

CIT Oakland 

The CIT Oakland is a collaborative effort between Oakland Community Health Network, OCC CREST, local law enforcement agencies, and behavioral health providers.

Basic CIT Goals:

• Improve officer and individual safety.
• To help people with mental disorders and/or addictions access medical treatment rather than place them in the criminal justice system due to illness-related behaviors.

Michigan CIT

The Michigan CIT is a statewide partnership dedicated to the advancement of CIT at local and state levels. The Michigan CIT Team supports the basic goals of CIT International:

• Advocate for CIT development at local, regional, and state levels through the use of councils, legislature, annual state conference, and funding.
• Improve officer and community safety.
• Increase access to treatment for people with mental health and substance use disorders in the criminal legal system, including expansion of pre‐booking diversion programs.
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