The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model — sometimes called the Memphis Model — is the most widely adopted police-based mental health crisis response in the United States. It does not solve the deep problems with policing serious mental illness, but it changes what is in the room when an officer arrives. Knowing what CIT is, how it differs from regular policing, and how to ask for it can meaningfully shift outcomes during a crisis.
CIT officers complete 40 hours of specialised training in mental illness, de-escalation, and community resources, and are dispatched preferentially to mental health calls in jurisdictions that have invested in the program.
Where CIT came from
CIT was developed in Memphis in 1988 after a fatal police shooting of a man in mental health crisis. The Memphis Police Department, working with NAMI, mental health providers, and the University of Memphis, built a 40-hour training curriculum that combined classroom instruction on serious mental illness with role-play, hospital site visits, and conversations with people with lived experience. The model has since spread to thousands of departments across the US and internationally. NAMI maintains an overview at nami.org.
What CIT training actually covers
- Recognising signs of psychosis, mania, depression, suicidal ideation, intoxication, and developmental disability
- De-escalation techniques — voice, body posture, distance, time
- The legal framework for civil commitment in their state
- Understanding of antipsychotic medication and side effects
- Local mental health resources — crisis units, mobile teams, hospitals
- Trauma-informed approaches and the impact of past restraint or arrest
- Practice scenarios with actors trained to portray people in crisis
- Site visits to psychiatric units, drop-in centres, and family-led groups
The training does not turn officers into clinicians. It does give them a different vocabulary and a different default response.
What CIT looks like in practice
In a strong CIT jurisdiction:
- Dispatchers are trained to flag mental health calls and route them to CIT officers when available
- CIT officers are spread across all shifts so coverage is genuinely 24/7
- The department has a designated drop-off point — a crisis unit, a 23-hour observation hold, or a psychiatric ED — where CIT officers can transfer custody quickly without long ED waits
- Outcomes are tracked: arrests vs hospitalisations vs handoffs to community services
- The program partners actively with NAMI, peer-run organisations, and the local mental health authority
In weaker programs, "CIT" can mean little more than that one officer per shift took the training years ago. Asking your local police department how many CIT officers are actively trained, what dispatch protocols exist, and where the drop-off point is will tell you what kind of CIT you actually have.
How to ask for CIT
When calling 911 for a mental health crisis:
- "My family member is in mental health crisis. Please send a CIT-trained officer."
- "They have schizophrenia. There are no weapons in the home. They are confused, not violent."
- "Please ask responders to approach calmly, no sirens."
If the dispatcher says no CIT is available, ask for a mobile crisis team. Some areas dispatch mental health professionals alongside or instead of police. See our mobile crisis teams overview and the CAHOOTS model.
How to interact with a CIT officer
For families and bystanders:
- Brief the officer outside before they enter
- Share what works and what does not — favourite name, calming approach, history of restraint trauma
- Stay calm and let the officer take the lead once briefed
- Be clear about your hopes — "I would prefer they go to the crisis unit, not the ED"
For people experiencing the crisis themselves:
- Identify yourself: "I have schizophrenia. I am not armed."
- Move slowly. Keep hands visible.
- Ask if the officer is CIT-trained. Many will tell you.
- You can ask, "Can we go to the crisis unit instead of the ED?" if your area has one
- You can ask, "Can we sit down and talk for a minute?"
What CIT does not fix
It is important to be honest. CIT is a harm-reduction strategy, not a transformation of the underlying problem. Limitations include:
- Even trained officers can use force, and outcomes still depend heavily on the individual
- Coverage is uneven; many calls in CIT jurisdictions still go to non-CIT officers
- CIT does not replace the need for unarmed alternatives like CAHOOTS-style mobile responders
- For some people with histories of police trauma, any uniformed response is harmful no matter how well trained
The goal is reducing harm at the system's current capacity, while continuing to push for non-police options to grow.
Most mental health crises do not require any police response. 988, mobile crisis teams, and warm lines exist as the first-line response. Reserve 911 for situations of immediate danger that cannot be addressed otherwise.
Advocacy
If your area has weak or no CIT, NAMI affiliates and the CIT International network help local advocates push for stronger programs. Asking your city council, county commission, or sheriff's office about CIT coverage and outcomes is a concrete way to push the system toward better defaults.
The bottom line
CIT is not a solution. It is the difference, in many encounters, between an arrest and a hospital, between a closed door and a conversation, between a tragedy and a hard night. Ask for it. Use it. Push for the programs that go further.
For more, see our articles on police encounters with schizophrenia, the CAHOOTS model, and when to call 911 for mental health.
This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified mental health professional. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 in the US, or your local emergency number.