Crisis Intervention Team

Vision
A Georgia where individuals with mental illness, co-occurring disorders, substance abuse, developmental disorders or other brain disorders receive treatment when appropriate in lieu of criminal incarceration.

Mission
Equip Georgia law enforcement officers with the skills to assist people with mental illness, co-occurring disorders, substance abuse, developmental disorders or other brain disorders who are in crisis, thereby advancing public safety and reducing stigma.

Implementation Procedures
The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is a dynamic collaboration of professionals committed to people with mental illness and other brain disorders. The CIT program is sponsored by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and the Georgia Department of Human Resources Division of Mental Health, Development Disabilities, and Addictive Diseases, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, Georgia Sheriff's Association, Inc., and Georgia Public Safety Training Center.

Law enforcement officers who are trained in CIT can effectively assist individuals with mental illness and other brain disorders who are in crisis, therefore advancing public safety and reducing the stigma commonly associated with mental illness. To achieve our mission, we will focus on the following objective:

Ensure that people with mental illnesses and other brain disorders always receive treatment, in lieu of incarceration in most cases.
Increase the number of local governments with community-based jail diversion programs for adults and children with serious mental illness.
Improve the quality and quantity of mental health services.
Protect the rights of people with mental illness and other brain disorders.
Promote adequate training for criminal justice system personnel about mental illness, developmental disabilities, Alzheimer's disease, and substance abuse.

The CIT Advisory Board coordinates the design, scheduling, and implementation of the course, and also coordinates and approves grant funding for the program. A statewide curriculum that is approved by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) Council has been developed. The curriculum includes the necessary materials to provide an effective, well-managed program that will assist jurisdictions in achieving more value from the investment of their time. NAMI will designate a volunteer to coordinate the law enforcement training. This will include securing an appropriate training location and involving local treatment professionals to present various classroom topics.

A representative from the GBI will coordinate communications with local law enforcement agencies to ensure that all the appropriate agencies are notified and involved in the training. For further information, please contact Pat Strode by telephone (770 234-0855) or via email at [email protected]. Law enforcement may contact Debbie Shaw with the GBI at (478) 993-4601 or at [email protected] . We thank everyone for their commitment, and look forward to hearing from you.

Law enforcement agencies that are interested in hosting a CIT training program should contact the statewide CIT Program Administrator at [email protected].

Law enforcement officers who are interested in registering for a specific CIT class should contact the CIT program coordinator of the hosting agency.