of Bucks County
Pennsylvania
Bucks County's Voice on Mental Illness
NAMI PA
Bucks County
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Bucks County's Voice on Mental Illness
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MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS Number 1-800-499-7455
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NAMI and Bucks Officials Visit Camden County NJ CIT A group of Bucks County officials recently accompanied members of the CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) Workgroup to Camden County, NJ to study the CIT system which has been in effect there for about six months. The trip afforded members of the group an opportunity to see firsthand the Crisis Response Center operated by Steininger Behavioral Care Services of Cherry Hill. The Center provides a place where police officers can bring individuals in crisis and, after filling out some paperwork, return to their patrols in short order, leaving the individual in the care of mental health professionals. The CIT workgroup has been advocating for a program of this type in Bucks Co. as one means to reduce arrest and incarceration of individuals with mental illness. This would result in them getting the treatment that can help, rather than entering the criminal justice system, which often results in a downward spiral for these individuals. Bucks Co officials and NAMI members with Chief Garrity and Loyal Ownes, Dir., Crisis Response Center. The purpose of the trip was to meet with officials in Camden County to learn how the system was implemented there, with an eye toward improving the crisis services here in Bucks County. The group, which included representatives of the Office of Bucks County Commissioners, the Dept. of Corrections; Bucks Co. MH/MR; Behavioral Health; Adult Probation and Parole; Voice and Vision, and law enforcement, met with Collingswood Police Department’s Chief Thomas Garrity who explained the philosophy of CIT as based on the premise that all people deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, regardless of their illnesses. Bucks Co law enforcement officers have been understandably frustrated by the lengthy waits that can sometimes be involved in their attending individuals in Crisis Centers and Emergency Rooms through the medical and psychiatric evaluation process. An officer can spend an average of 4 hours waiting with an individual for such evaluations. The wait time is a crucial point in their decision whether to bring the individual in for possible treatment or to take them to jail. All too often, with the need to return to their patrol responsibilities in a timely fashion, police interactions result in the individual being arrested and incarcerated for a minor offense. The Collingswood Police Dept is the first in the state of NJ to implement CIT training based on the proven Memphis program which was developed in 1988. Chief Garrity is an enthusiastic proponent of CIT but, in his words, this has not always been the case. According to Chief Garrity, his trip to Memphis TN to examine the way the model works brought about a change of heart in the chief, who has been in law enforcement over 20 years. Previously, he handled calls involving a person with mental illness in as humane and understanding a way as possible, however he was hampered by lack of advanced specialized training on mental illness. Collingswood’s 21 trained officers now can employ advanced skills in de-escalating situations that previously had the potential to become incidents ending in arrest, and sometimes injury to the individual or the officer. Law enforcement will continue to be the first responding ‘care-givers’ to the scene of persons in crisis. Not every officer is suited to take the training and history shows that those who volunteer are the most successful. In any call involving a person with mental illness, the CIT officer, identified by a special “CIT” lapel pin, is dispatched immediately, and upon arrival, takes the lead in handling the incident. Officers are advised to arrive without lights and sirens both of which can be terrifying to an individual in crisis. Also to introduce themselves as a CIT officer, keep their hands out in front of them, speak softly, obtain the person’s name, name of their doctor, if any, and types of medications they may be taking. The object is to de-escalate the situation. Police officers are trained to take control of a situation and do so with force, if needed. This does not work when the individual has a mental illness. 20 years of CIT history have developed proven methods that often resolve an incident at the point of origin, necessitating neither arrest nor treatment. However, when treatment or an evaluation is called for, a crisis response center must be available for police to ‘drop-off’ the person, provided there is no aggressive or violent behavior. NAMI is pleased to note that serious consideration is being given to steps needed to provide such a drop-off center here in Bucks County. CIT may not be a panacea, but it is a vital step in the decriminalization effort. The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program is a model program that has been implemented in numerous communities, large and small, across the country. This program involves: (1) special law enforcement training, (2) special dispatch procedures, (3) the availability of appropriate, timely, and law enforcement-friendly acute crisis care alternatives to jail, and (4) effective aftercare and follow-up. The National Alliance on Mental Illness established as part of its policy a strategy of “adopting programs such as the Memphis Police Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Program.” It is encouraging that about 500 police departments nationwide have implemented the Memphis Model CIT program. . The CIT program is a community effort, enjoining both the police and the community together for common goals of safety, understanding and service to those with mental illness and their families. It has been hailed by the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Dept of Justice as "Best Practice." Bucks County deserves the best! For more information on the CIT effort see our website http://namibucks.org/CrisisInterventionTraining.htm or call our office 215-442-5637. |
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