Tennessee looks to expand police crisis intervention team concept

NASHVILLE — Tennessee has received a $75,000 federal mental health and law enforcement grant to study and develop a plan to ultimately expand state and local agencies’ use of Crisis Intervention Team programs.

The CIT concept is aimed at improving interactions by police and jailers with people experiencing mental health crises.

The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and the Tennessee Department of Correction on Monday announced the grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.

“We know that this model works and this funding is going to go a long way toward spreading it across the state,” said Mental Health Commissioner Marie Williams.

“By pre-positioning the resources a person needs before they reach that crisis state, we can help keep them out of the jail and make sure they get the help they need,” she added.

The program was developed by Memphis back in the late 1980s and has now been adopted in 18 of Tennessee’s 95 counties, including Hamilton County and Chattanooga.

In the Chattanooga area, it has been credited with decreasing use of force, especially in SWAT team interventions, as well as reducing injuries and arrest rates of the mentally ill, according to a study conducted several years ago by the Ochs Center for Metropolitan Studies.

At the same time, the local program has helped officials get troubled people they encounter necessary outpatient treatment.

The state is matching the $75,000 federal grant with $18,750.

State corrections officials say the prevalence of mental health issues among inmates is significantly higher than in the general population. More than one in four state inmates — 28 percent — are dealing with mental health issues, according to the Department of Correction.

“The crisis intervention model gives our officers an additional layer of training that protects the inmates and the officers,” TDOC Commissioner Tony Parker said. “Use of this model will lead to safer prisons and will truly enhance public safety.”

Department of Mental Health officials said they have set three primary objectives they want to achieve with the grant:

› Create a statewide CIT program in Tennessee Task Force

› Conduct a comprehensive statewide assessment of the current usage, policy and practice of the CIT model

› Develop a strategic statewide expansion and sustainability plan for CIT in Tennessee

“The end goal … is to have the data to show where we are and what needs to improve and to develop a plan to sustainably expand CIT to more communities in Tennessee,” said Lisa Ragan, the mental health department’s director of consumer affairs.

The mental health department plans to contract with the National Alliance on Mental Illness Tennessee to carry out the CIT expansion. The alliance will work with CIT consultant Major Sam Cochran, who was coordinator of the Memphis Police CIT for 20 years.

Cochran now works as a nationwide consultant and trainer for CIT programs and is chairman of the CIT International Board.