PHX Reporter

PHOENIX – Some of the most complex calls for police officers and firefighters are ones which require a mental or behavioral health response. The need for a targeted approach with these types of calls has increased over the last few decades, which has prompted the City of Phoenix to prioritize new programs and training.

  

“People are at a point where they are in crisis, and their actions and behaviors have been compromised," Phoenix Police Officer Eric Gunnels said during a ride-along in North Phoenix. Officer Gunnels is part of a two-person Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) operating out of the Community Engagement Bureau. He and his partner, Lorenzo Ortiz, respond exclusively to calls requiring a mental or behavioral health response. 

  

The Phoenix Police Department created its first dedicated CIT squad in 2015, and now there are multiple squads like it across the city. Overall, 521 current officers have voluntarily taken a 40-hour CIT training course in order to better perform their duties on patrol. These 521 officers are strategically spread out across every shift and precinct in the City of Phoenix. Though not all of them respond exclusively to these challenging calls, the idea is to have as many with proper training as possible to respond when necessary. 

  

The CIT program is coordinated by Phoenix Police Detective, and nationally recognized CIT trainer Sabrina Taylor. “We really do believe this is an all-hands-on-deck approach," Detective Taylor said. “We would like to divert people away from the 911 system, from the criminal justice framework as soon as it's safe," The first step in this process was to provide training to all 911 operators, and in March, 2020 a mental health clinician was embedded in the 911 call center to provide further on-site guidance. 

  

This approach has helped redirect roughly 570 calls per month to Solari Crisis and Human Services, and other crisis network partnerships across the valley. The Community Assistance Program (CAP) run by the Phoenix Fire Department is also responding to calls when deemed necessary by trained 911 operators. The Community Assistance Program sends a two-person team of mental health case workers to scenes, and now operates 24-7, city-wide. 

  

These initiatives, programs and trainings are just part of an increased emphasis on mental and behavioral health response over the last decade. New mandated training, including Integrating Communications, Assessment and Tactics are also part of this approach. These trainings, and others like them are the basis for providing quality service to all residents and visitors in the City of Phoenix.

  

The Phoenix Police Department has invested a great deal of time and resources to enhance its response in this area. Navigate to the link below for a list of measures taken in this area. 

Download Mental and Behavioral Health Response Timeline 

Original source can be found here.