The Richland County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board and NAMI Richland County would like to personally congratulate and thank all the officers and first responders who have taken the time to complete the Crisis Intervention Team training. The Board and NAMI express our deepest appreciation for all that you do to serve the residents of Richland County.
To date, Richland County has trained 631 graduating officers and first responders!
These trained professionals have safely helped thousands of individuals in receiving appropriate mental health treatment, addiction services, and other local resources over the past 19 years.
We value the collaborative efforts between local law enforcement and mental health agencies in our continued support of this training. Through these partnerships and trainings, individuals living with mental illness have a community that cares!
The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training is a free, 40-hour intensive training for law enforcement officers and other first responders to learn about mental health conditions, de-escalation tactics through role playing, and education from local resources.
The training was brought to Richland County in the spring of 2004 and has become a collaborative effort between law enforcement, first responders, and mental health service providers to address the needs of individuals living with mental illness in a safe and effective manner.
Individuals and their family members who are in crisis can call 911 and/or dispatch to request a CIT trained officer to respond to their needs. The primary goal of this training is to increase safety in encounters and when appropriate, divert individuals from the criminal justice system to mental health treatment.
