S.C.R. 1

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 Training Program 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:

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

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 escalating 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

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.




Legislative Review Note
as of 12-14-10 3:42 PM

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel