The Greenbelt Police Department has launched a new unit, the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT), to help redirect individuals with behavioral health issues from the judicial system to the health care system.
The CIT is an integration between police and behavioral health professionals to assist community members with behavioral health concerns, offering them mental health and substance use intervention and links to community resources. The goals of the CIT include:
- providing improved outcomes of police interactions with community members who may have behavioral health diagnoses,
- redirecting clients with behavioral health concerns from the judicial system to the health care system,
- reducing the number of repeat calls for service for persons with behavioral health concerns,
- reducing incidents in which someone with behavioral health issues commits criminal acts,
- reducing incarceration of persons with behavioral health diagnoses,
- and reducing recidivism by adult and juvenile community members with behavioral health diagnoses.
Contact is initiated by a call for service with a behavioral health component. The first contact between the clinician and client includes the presence of a police officer. For case management follow-up, the clinician uses professional judgment to determine if there is a safety concern and a need for an officer presence at follow-up appointments.
Some types of calls CIT will assist with include welfare checks, domestic disputes, geriatric and juvenile issues with behavioral health concerns, victim support, critical incidents, emergency petitions and repeat callers to 911 who are identified with behavioral health concerns. Generally, the CIT provides follow-up to individuals with behavioral health concerns, those with developmental disabilities and substance-use disorders.
Since the team launched on Monday, July 11, CIT has handled 34 calls for service and follow-up visits. “With the creation of the Crisis Intervention Team, we are continuing to build on the resources we can provide to the community, furthering our commitment to serve Greenbelt to the best of our abilities,” said Chief Richard Bowers. “This program, along with mental health services offered by Greenbelt CARES, provides the highest level of care for our residents. The goal of community policing is prevention. When an individual is linked to appropriate community resources, they are then supported and less likely to be involved in inappropriate or criminal behavior.”
Rachel Tobin was hired at the beginning of July as the CIT coordinator. She is a licensed social worker with seven years of experience working in the crisis field. The Greenbelt Police Department will begin searching for a second clinician to join the team in the fall.
This information is from a Greenbelt Police Department press release.