Crisis Intervention Team Training and Special Weapons and Tactics Callouts in an Urban Police Department

Abstract

This study tested a hypothesized inverse correlation between the number of crisis intervention team (CIT) officers and the number of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) callouts in an urban police department. Data for the number of accrued CIT-trained officers were combined with administrative data on the number of SWAT callouts during 27 four-month intervals. There were no significant correlations for the relationships examined, and implementation of CIT training was not associated with a decrease in SWAT callouts. Although the CIT model may yield important benefits in other domains, this study found no evidence of declining SWAT utilization as the number of CIT-trained officers accrued. The absence of association is likely due to the relatively low prevalence of SWAT use and the very different nature of CIT versus SWAT responses.