Officer perceptions of crisis intervention team training effectiveness.

This paper presents the initial findings of a multi-stage research project. The purpose of the study is to examine officer perception of preparedness after receiving Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training, specifically the elements of CIT that focus on mental illness. An additional goal of this study was to examine the underlying factors contributing to these perceptions. The sample utilised was 32 CIT-trained officers out of a population of 70 from a large urban police department in Connecticut. CIT-trained officers were administered a 13-item self-report questionnaire that required participants to evaluate perceptions of preparedness. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted in order to obtain a more in-depth understanding of the findings. Results indicate that, overall, police feel better prepared to deal with the mentally ill population due to CIT training. Additionally, results indicated that although officers felt more prepared to deal with the mentally ill population after CIT training, they did not feel that they had adequate information pertaining to availability of diversion programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]