Police Commission endorses Memphis CIT model, directs chief to return with 30-day plan

The San Francisco Police Commission voted 7–0 on Feb. 9 to endorse adoption of the Memphis Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model for responses to incidents involving people with mental health needs and directed the chief of police to present an implementation plan and coordinator within 30 days.

Commissioners and outside experts said the model — which pairs specially trained volunteer officers with community mental health partners, adapts dispatch procedures and emphasizes de-escalation — has been associated in Memphis with lower officer injury rates and large reductions in arrests of people in crisis. Commissioner Angela Chan, who led the subcommittee that drafted the resolution, said the document ‘‘adopts the Memphis CIT model’’ and lays out the key components, including a CIT coordinator, a mental health working group, required training and reporting procedures.

Why it matters: Commissioners, mental-health providers and family members framed the resolution as a step to reduce the number of officer-involved uses of force and to move people into treatment rather than the criminal justice system. Multiple speakers at the public hearing urged action now; one family member, Frances Sheehan, told the commission about…