Police commission hears expansion update for crisis intervention training

Lieutenant Mario Molina, who was selected to direct the department's Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) effort, presented a detailed progress report to the Police Commission on Jan. 7. Molina said the department has increased CIT-trained officers to roughly 324, representing about 22 percent of the patrol force, and that several refresher and new training classes are scheduled for 2015.

Molina outlined steps to integrate CIT-response data into the department's service-mapping and crime-mapping system so that dispatchers and supervisors can identify which trained officers respond to mental-health calls and allocate resources accordingly. He said the program includes community mental-health providers, NAMI, homeless-service stakeholders and other advocates and that a working group will continue to refine the training and metrics.

Molina described a response in the Bayview in which CIT-trained personnel and mental-health partners engaged a chronically ill, delusional resident for four hours, de-escalated the situation and brought the person into care without injuries. Commissioners and the chief emphasized that CIT is intended to be a community program with mental-health professionals and the police working together.

Commissioners praised the volunteerism among officers who attend CIT and discussed next steps including refresher requirements, recognition for volunteers, and coordination with the Police Academy. The commission requested future updates and more public notice for working-group meetings so community members can participate.