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Senate Committee Amendments 1-26-2011 rd/jlw
This document includes Senate Committee Amendments incorporated into the bill on Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 8:41 AM by rday. -->              1
    
CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAM PROGRAM CONCURRENT

             2     
RESOLUTION

             3     
2011 GENERAL SESSION

             4     
STATE OF UTAH

             5     
Chief Sponsor: Patricia W. Jones

             6     
House Sponsor: Paul Ray

             7     

             8      LONG TITLE
             9      General Description:
             10          This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor recognizes the positive
             11      approach and best practices of the Crisis Intervention Team Program and encourages
             12      development of active crisis intervention team programs statewide.
             13      Highlighted Provisions:
             14          This resolution:
             15          .    recognizes the Crisis Intervention Team S. [ Training ] .S Program S. training .S
             15a      as the model of best
             16      practice for law enforcement intervention with persons who have a mental illness;
             17      and
             18          .    encourages law enforcement agencies and community mental health centers to work
             19      together in conjunction with other community partners to:
             20              .    have a cadre of certified Crisis Intervention Team-trained officers in all
             21      jurisdictions; and
             22              .    develop and maintain active crisis intervention team programs regionally
             23      throughout the state.
             24      Special Clauses:
             25          None
             26     

             27      Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:



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             28
         WHEREAS, mental illness is a serious medical condition that affects children,
             29      adolescents, adults, and the elderly;
             30          WHEREAS, in response to the need for Utah's law enforcement officers to better
             31      understand and deal with issues arising from persons with mental illness, the Utah Crisis
             32      Intervention Team (CIT) program was developed through the leadership of the Salt Lake City
             33      Police Department;
             34          WHEREAS, CIT training is a 40-hour curriculum, to be completed in a one-week
             35      period, based on the Memphis Police Department Crisis Intervention Team model of best
             36      practices for law enforcement intervention with persons who have a mental illness;
             37          WHEREAS, Utah's CIT training meets the certification requirements set forth by the
             38      Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health;
             39          WHEREAS, Utah's CIT program is recognized by the mental health community as one
             40      of the finest law enforcement training programs in the nation;
             41          WHEREAS, implementing the CIT program on a statewide basis means building strong
             42      working partnerships between law enforcement agencies and mental health resources in the
             43      community;
             44          WHEREAS, these partnerships bring law enforcement and mental health services
             45      together instead of working independently on mental health issues;
             46          WHEREAS, by working together, the law enforcement and mental health communities
             47      can find more appropriate and long-term solutions for persons with mental illness;
             48          WHEREAS, the CIT program trains law enforcement officers to effectively and
             49      humanely intervene in situations involving children and adults who find themselves in
             50      psychiatric crisis;
             51          WHEREAS, the CIT program is proven to reduce the likelihood of physical
             52      confrontation and use of force in these intervention situations;
             53          WHEREAS, the CIT program improves officer safety and decreases injuries to law
             54      enforcement officers involved in crisis intervention;
             55          WHEREAS, CIT training helps public safety officers recognize when a mental health
             56      issue is a factor in a crisis intervention and can help both the person in crisis and the officers, as
             57      well, in dealing with the crisis;
             58          WHEREAS, the CIT program helps link individuals with mental illness to appropriate



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Senate Committee Amendments 1-26-2011 rd/jlw
             59
     mental health treatment and community services;
             60          WHEREAS, the CIT program decreases the use of arrest and detention of persons
             61      experiencing a mental health crisis by providing those persons with better access to timely
             62      treatment;
             63          WHEREAS, the CIT program provides an immediate response to crisis intervention
             64      situations by specially trained law enforcement officers;
             65          WHEREAS, the CIT program reduces the amount of time officers would otherwise
             66      spend being out of service while awaiting assessment and disposition of the intervention,
             67      thereby resulting in cost savings;
             68          WHEREAS, after the CIT program was established in Memphis, Tennessee, officer
             69      injuries sustained during responses to "mental disturbance" calls dropped by 80%;
             70          WHEREAS, after the CIT program was established in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the
             71      number of crisis intervention calls requiring SWAT team involvement declined by 58%;
             72          WHEREAS, according to one study, officers with CIT training were less likely to use
             73      force when dealing with mentally ill persons, and CIT-trained officers believed that
             74      nonphysical responses were more effective and physical responses less effective in dealing
             75      with a person with a mental illness than did non-CIT-trained officers;
             76          WHEREAS, Utah CIT law enforcement officers are provided with effective skills to
             77      interact with persons in psychiatric crisis and to assist with S. [ escalating ] de-escalating .S
             77a      volatile situations;
             78          WHEREAS, the CIT program is also utilized by individuals with a mental illness and
             79      their family members;
             80          WHEREAS, the CIT program promotes good will between law enforcement and
             81      members of the community;
             82          WHEREAS, the CIT training provides officers the opportunity to spend time "touring"
             83      the mental health system and interacting with people living with mental illness and hearing
             84      from their families and providers to gain an understanding of these difficult illnesses;
             85          WHEREAS, CIT-trained officers understand how the symptoms of mental illness may
             86      be manifested and affect behavior, and they are aware of the perspective of the person with the
             87      illness;
             88          WHEREAS, not all law enforcement agencies in the state of Utah have CIT-trained
             89      officers; and



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             90
         WHEREAS, not all CIT-trained officers participate in geographical areas where the full
             91      program is implemented in partnership with mental health providers:
             92          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
             93      Governor concurring therein, recognize the outstanding leadership of the Utah Crisis
             94      Intervention Team and its work in the area of crises intervention with persons who have a
             95      mental illness.
             96          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor recognize the
             97      CIT Utah Program as the model of best practice for law enforcement intervention with persons
             98      who have a mental illness.
             99          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor encourage law
             100      enforcement agencies and community mental health centers to work together and, in
             101      conjunction with other community partners, to have CIT-trained officers and active CIT
             102      programs in place statewide.
             103          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Utah Police
             104      Chiefs Association, the Utah Sheriffs Association, the Utah Behavioral Information Network,
             105      the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, and Intermountain Health Care.





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