The impact of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training on police use of force

Abstract

This study examined the level of force used by Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) and non-CIT officers responding to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis (N = 382). Level of force was coded using National Institute of Justice (2009) strategy, least to most lethal. Analyses examined differences in officers’ use of force by CIT-training status and citizen characteristics. Results indicated CIT-trained officers were less likely to use any level of force and more likely to use the lowest level of force, compared to non-CIT-trained officers. CIT-trained officers were significantly less likely to escalate to higher levels of force, utilizing the lowest level of force more often.