presentation to a neighboring jurisdiction new to the CIT concept.13 Whether the recruitment structure is regionalized, centralized, or a combination of the two, coordinators in each of the three states require that agencies or regions participating in the statewide trainings or support activities have some form of a local SPR coordinator. In Ohio, each jurisdiction is requested to select a coordinator from both the local mental health and law enforcement agencies. In Connecticut, each CIT department appoints a sworn representative who acts as the liaison with CABLE staff and their local mental health partners. The program
When statewide program leaders advertise a color-coded map of counties with specially trained officers by percentages, it really gets the attention of law enforcement officials and other community members and organizations—especially those that have far fewer [officers] than neighboring counties.” —Lt. Michael Woody (Ret.) Akron Police Department, Law Enforcement Liaison for the Ohio Criminal Justice Coordinating Center of Excellence, and President of CIT International
General Recruitment Strategies Regionalized Coordination In a regionalized coordination approach, state organizers recruit a primary agency in a catchment area or county, then work closely with community partners from law enforcement and mental health and advocacy agencies/groups to get a SPR program up and running. Organizers next identify a regional SPR coordinator who is responsible for recruiting other communities within the area. For example, in Utah, the SLCPD promotes CIT in police departments throughout the state, using existing mental health catchment areas as an organizing framework. The CIT program director recruits professionals in new catchment areas, often in the course of responding to a request from a local advocate, by meeting with stakeholders in the region and presenting information on CIT. The program director then helps put together a CIT Academy in that catchment area. This approach works particularly well in Utah because the single mental health service provider serving the catchment area ensures consistency in the rules and protocols throughout that area as to how mental health professionals practice and interact with law enforcement.
Centralized Coordination In a centralized approach, coordinators organize recruitment of all communities across the state. Although training may be regionalized, the state-level organization remains the main access point for recruitment and training. In this strategy, state coordinators begin by recruiting agencies they know are willing to be or already involved in a SPR program, then build on those successes. For example, in Connecticut, after the successful implementation of CIT in New London, additional jurisdictions were recruited based on connections made through that department. Agencies may also make requests to CABLE for training instead of waiting to be invited.
13. In some states, these informal actions may not always be reported to the statewide coordinator.
14
Statewide Law Enforcement/Mental Health Efforts