Poster Session 3, 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM: Concourse [B16]

Police Attitudes on Crisis Intervention Teams in South-Eastern Massachusetts

Presenter: Deidre Blais

Faculty Sponsor: Asa Iacobucci

School: Bridgewater State University

Research Area: Crime and Justice

ABSTRACT

For crises that require physical intervention, calling 911 is often the only option, and emergency responses are frequently limited to police. Similarly, for mental health emergencies, police and emergency medical services (EMS) respond. However, police are not adequately trained to deal with mental health crises, and often, even their presence will escalate levels of distress. The primary aim of this research is to investigate law enforcement needs regarding mental health calls with a particular focus on crisis intervention teams. Crisis intervention teams (CIT) house mental health-certified or licensed first responders in police departments, who are accompanied by officers for protection. Using Denver and Oregon as case studies for successful CIT programs, this project investigates the possibility of implementing a similar program in Southeastern Massachusetts. To consider this reform, local officers will be interviewed to assess their comfort with mental health calls, their current knowledge and training, and their openness to crisis team installation. It is hypothesized that officers will not feel adequately trained to respond to mental health calls and will have reservations about crisis teams. Findings of this study will be presented to local police departments with the goal of facilitating the installation of a crisis team in their department.

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