Crisis Intervention Team Refresher Training

2018 NACo Achievement Award Winner

Henrico County, Va., VA

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About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

Henrico County implemented Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Basic training in 2008. This week-long instruction gives police, fire, sheriff, and mental health personnel the necessary skills to successfully assist individuals in crisis. In the past ten years, Henrico’s CIT instructors have taught over 1,700 participants in 73 CIT Basic classes. The Henrico chiefs of Police and Fire, the Sheriff and the director of Mental Health and Developmental Services requested training to refresh responders on the skills and resources taught in the CIT Basic class. As a result, Henrico County’s CIT instructors developed the CIT Refresher curriculum to fulfill this need. The curriculum highlights the initiatives of Henrico County’s CIT program, updates responders on legal changes, provides an opportunity to practice de-escalation skills, and offers an intensive session on current issues. The nationwide opiate epidemic is the current selected topic. The 8-hour CIT Refresher classes were initially offered in 2017. More than 240 Henrico first responders completed the course on one of the twelve available dates. Additional training is scheduled for the coming years. This training is the first of its kind in Virginia and, purportedly, the first in the nation.