Crisis Intervention Team
The Mesa Police Department Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program includes specially trained Mesa Police officers and civilian employees committed to assisting persons with mental illnesses and other brain disorders. These officers and civilian employees are spread throughout the department in various roles including patrol, investigations, crime prevention and many more. The CIT program is not a specific unit within the police department, but rather a department-wide program focused on police training and community collaboration.
The links and sites provided on this page are for the user's convenience. The Mesa Police Department does not endorse or recommend any of the providers listed.
The program combines the training of department employees with collaboration in the mental health community. This collaboration includes local members of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), local mental health service providers, family members and law enforcement officers. The Mesa Police Department’s CIT program provides an avenue for the development of community partnerships and the collaboration for community service. The CIT program is designed to:
- Provide cooperative community partnerships of law enforcement, mental health service providers, consumers, families and advocates.
- Coordinate and enhance services to people with mental illness and/or substance abuse problems through law enforcement based Crisis Intervention Teams.
- Provide leadership to facilitate CIT programs and play an integral role in the design of training for the CIT officers, and
- Support success and continuous improvement of CIT.
The Mesa Police Department's CIT Program was implemented in 2004 as a means to provide a more professional and humane response to individuals in serious mental health crisis. The program is based on the Memphis Model, which is the standard for similar programs nationwide. The Mesa Police Department is also a member of the East Valley CIT Program Collaboration.
CIT trains law enforcement officers to effectively and humanely interact with persons with mental illness. The CIT course is a 40-hour, five-day curriculum that is approved by the Arizona Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Council. It is comprised of both classroom instruction and practical exercises delivered by mental health professionals, other subject matter experts and CIT law enforcement instructors.
When a public safety situation occurs involving a person in psychiatric crisis, law enforcement officers will be the first responders. The officers are responsible for handling the incident in the most professional manner possible. CIT training provides officers with the tools to professionally and humanely interact with persons with mental illness. Often situations involving psychiatric crises are higher risk and may escalate quickly into a situation where use of force may be a necessity. CIT training provides officers with skills that can minimize risk to responding officers and the person in crisis and may prevent the need to use force all together.
MedicAlert
Did you know the Mesa Police Department offers various free MedicAlert services to individuals with Alzheimer's or other dementias, as well as for children and adults with autism spectrum and developmental disorders?
Missing person cases and wandering incidents are a major concern for law enforcement, especially as it relates to the Alzheimer’s and autism communities. MedicAlert has specific programs in place to address wandering emergencies: MedicAlert® + Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return® is for individuals with Alzheimer’s or related dementia, and MedicAlert Found® is for children and adults with autism spectrum and developmental disorders. Both MedicAlert programs work with the families of missing loved ones and local law enforcement to create a community network system that aims at quickly finding the missing individual, ensuring they receive medical care if needed, and reuniting them with family. The Mesa Police Department is proud to partner with MedicAlert to provide these services. In addition to providing the individual with this service, MedicAlert will provide a caregiver with their own jewelry and registration.
If you or someone you know are caring for someone with Alzheimer's Disease or a related dementia, visit the Adult ID Kit.
Brochures and Forms
Medic Alert + Safe Return Enrollment Form(PDF, 440KB) (Enrollment is FREE) Return completed form by email or mail.
Email: Amanda.Stamps@mesaaz.gov
Mail to:
Mesa Police Department
Attn: Amanda Stamps/CIT
PO Box 1466
Mesa, AZ 85211-1466
Become a Dementia Friendly Business(PDF, 456KB)
Adult ID Kit