Tri-County CIT program covers the State of Michigan Counties of Eaton, Ingham and Clinton.
Purpose
The purpose of this Web Site is two-fold.
To familiarize the public with the Tri-County Crisis Intervention Team and its mission.
To provide a central point of distribution of commonly-used resources for CIT agencies and members.
The crisis intervention team (CIT) is an innovative police based first responder program of pre-arrest jail diversion for those in a mental illness crisis. This program provides law enforcement based crisis intervention training for helping those individuals with mental illness. Involvement in CIT is voluntary and based in the patrol division of the police department. In addition, CIT works in partnership with those in mental health care to provide a system of services that is friendly to the individuals with mental illness, family members, and the police officers.
Mission:
The Tri-County Crisis Intervention Team is committed to improving public safety and response to behavioral health crises through community partnerships, community ownership, policy, and training.
Fact Sheet:
MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS
Law Enforcement (LE) is seeing an increase in the frequency of situations relating to behavioral crisis and co-occurring behavioral health and substance use disorders.
Resources to address these conditions are decreasing. In 2015, the State of Michigan cut the general fund by 60% for behavioral health services.
Police, medical first responders, hospital emergency departments and behavioral health services are challenged with the volatility, frequency, & other complexities with persons in crisis and how to provide the proper care for them.
MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS IN CLINTON, EATON AND INGHAM COUNTY
In 2015, a total of 627 mental illness & 199 overdose Incident Reports were filed by law enforcement in Clinton, Ingham County, Dewitt, Lansing, East Lansing and Meridian Township. Calls for service are much higher. Mental illness & overdose incidents in 2016 are on track to surpass the prior year’s incidents.
Eaton County tracks incidents differently. Drunk/Intoxicated subject calls and Person’s Requiring Treatment (PRT’s) are on track to be a record year in 2016. Attempted suicide and suicidal subject calls in 2015-2016 are on track to be the highest rates since 2011.
The Centers for Disease Control reports an increase in suicide each year from 2011 (39,518) to 2014 (42,773) and is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. This statistic is reflective of a growing amount of mental/emotional crisis in our society.
CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAMS IN CLINTON, EATON AND INGHAM COUNTY
Consistent with this call of the police executive research forum, law enforcement officials of the Tri-County region want nothing more than to obtain additional training & resources to problem solve for people in crisis and avoid forceful interventions that impact families and jeopardize community relations and trust.
Crisis Intervention Team training will serve citizens and LE across the three counties as a means to improve outcomes in mental illness related interaction with LE.
The Tri-County Crisis Intervention Team is and will continue to be rich with collaboration, mutual respect and investment between long established behavioral health providers, medical providers, consumer advocates and LE from city, township, county and state agencies within the Tri-County.