CIT Spring Training
The Mental Health & Recovery Board of Portage County hosted a spring Crisis Intervention Team Training for Portage County police officers. The class had 20 participants from 10 different departments, including the Sheriff's Office and Portage Park District. The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is an innovative first-responder model of police-based crisis intervention training to help persons with mental disorders and/or addictions access medical treatment rather than place them in the criminal justice system due to illness-related behaviors. It also promotes officer safety and the safety of the individual in crisis.
While the main focus of the class is to practice communication skills and de-escalation techniques, the participants also learned about substance use disorders, the specialized court dockets for mental health and substance abuse, intellectual disabilities, and self-care.
