Texas
Bexar County, San Antonio
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office and San Antonio Police Department in partnership with the Center for Healthcare Services (the local mental health authority) began its CIT program in October 2003.
The first CIT class was conducted in 2003 at the San Antonio State Hospital. A team of Houston PD Officers led by Officer Frank Webb traveled from Houston to “train the trainers”. This was the initial impetus for CIT development in San Antonio.
The goal of our CIT effort is to provide more efficient service to the community when responding to calls where a mentally ill person is in crisis, and to ensure the safety of both the officer and mental health consumer. CIT Officers are trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illness and the medications used to treat them. CIT Officers have developed a close partnership with the local mental health authority, the Center for Health Care Services, The University Hospital System, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, and the many public and private mental health providers in the City of San Antonio. Our community partnership has led to more effective service to persons with mental illness,, the diversion of mentally ill persons from jail to treatment, and a commitment from the community to build and fund a Crisis Care Center which will provide "24/7" medical and mental health care exclusively for law enforcement officers.
The Texas CIT Officer's Association:
Starting in late 2011 a group of Texas CIT Officers met together in Austin Texas to lay the foundation for Texas' first CIT Officer's Association. The goal of the association will be to promote mental health education across the state as it pertains to law enforcement's interaction and care for the mentally ill. The association will also host an annual conference where stakeholders from across the state can come together and discuss new options for better practices "in the field."
Starting in 2012 the Texas CIT Officer's Association launched their website located at TexasCIT.org.
Read more about this topic: Crisis Intervention Training
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