Supporting Somerville’s Crisis Intervention Team Training Program

Client: Somerville Police Department
Topic Areas: Behavioral health and substance use; Community development
Service: Participatory Evaluation

Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is a model for community policing which supports police in responding to crisis situations through education and collaboration with mental health providers, hospital emergency departments, and individuals and families affected by mental illness. The Metro Boston Crisis Intervention Team Training and Technical Assistance Center sits within the Somerville Police Department and acts as a training and coordination center for police departments implementing CIT in the Greater Boston area. The Somerville Police Department hired ICH to administer a survey to local police departments to determine if and how CIT was being implemented and to identify challenges to implementation. As police departments struggle to meet the growing burden of substance use disorders and mental health conditions, the Center is using the survey results to better support CIT programs and meet reporting requirements of the Department of Public Health.