7 APR 2015

Progress: More Funding for Police Training

By Carla Rabinowitz - Advocacy Coordinator

Great news! New York officials will allocate $1.5 million to expanding Crisis Intervention Teams across the state.

This is a huge success after many years of hard work and lobbying by a group of mental health advocates known as the Communities for Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT). CIT was started by Community Access and other nonprofits concerned by how police respond to those in crisis. For the past ten years, we've been working to establish Crisis Intervention Teams in New York.

• It involves police training to recognize and respond to mental health crisis situations, for which police are often first responders. Not understanding or knowing how to handle people in crisis is dangerous, and sometimes fatal, for both police and civilians.
• There are supplemental programs to police training, such as drop-off "assessment centers" that provide a safe location for police to drop off people in mental health crisis. Assessment centers are staffed by mental health professionals, and provide a common-sense alternative to emergency rooms or jail.

Over the years, we advocates have been building momentum. We’ve held press conferences, met with city and state officials, and spread the word. Though much work remains to be done, we're making strong, measurable progress.

 In the News

• NY budget funds police training on the mentally ill
• Police and the mentally ill: Albany death after Taser use raises training issue

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