South Bend crisis-intervention program draws praise, leaders press for better data

At a Health and Public Safety committee meeting, council members praised a crisis-intervention program that trains officers to respond to mental-health and de-escalation calls and urged better data collection to support funding and outreach.

The program’s presenter, identified in the meeting as Cindy (program presenter/CIT officer), described how officers trained in crisis intervention attempt to resolve incidents without force and build rapport with residents. “For me, it is getting someone whatever resources or help that they need, and it being a no contact type incident,” Cindy said.

Councilman Warner said he was “familiar with the program” and thanked Cindy for the team’s work and for partnering with law enforcement. “I thank you, Cindy, for your work, and Oklahoma’s commitment to our community, through the scribe response team, the bridal intake center, all of the work you do, your assistance to law enforcement,” Warner said, adding that the program’s recorded calls are “a drop in the bucket” compared with total need.

Councilwoman Baldwin Simpson and Councilwoman White both praised the presentation. Baldwin Simpson said she was “thoroughly impressed” and urged continued improvement of data collection. “I do challenge you that data gathering is very important, and so continue to try to, get that more accurate,” she said. White said the council should begin “to look at ways in which we can support the program” because it “is directly impacting and having influence within the community.”

During discussion, Cindy explained how dispatch and existing department staffing influence whether a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) officer responds: dispatch maintains a list of CIT-trained officers on each shift, and officers try to monitor calls and coordinate responses when possible. Cindy described a recent case where a community member specifically asked dispatch for a CIT officer, prompting two trained officers to respond and producing a “very positive result.”

Cindy and council members flagged data collection as a priority for future work. Cindy said partial funding for a data system (“gelada,” as named in the presentation) could provide more complete records if additional funding is secured. Council members asked Cindy follow-up questions about how dispatch identifies potential CIT calls, how officers coordinate when multiple calls occur, and what constitutes a successful interaction.

Cindy said success is measured by connecting people to resources, avoiding use of force, and building trust so future responses are more likely to be positive. “That helps to build that rapport with a family member, with that person in crisis so that if and when things get worse, and often they do, that when I step into the situation, it’s automatically gonna probably be a positive interaction that I’m already trusted,” she said.

No formal actions or votes were taken on the program at the meeting; the presentation concluded with committee members offering to send written questions and thanking the presenter. Health and public safety was adjourned for the evening.

Less-critical details: committee members encouraged outreach to schools and community partners to improve reporting and paperwork completion, and asked the presenter to share data-field definitions so the council can better evaluate grant opportunities and budgeting requests going forward.