What is the role of a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) in policing?

• A. They respond to mental health crises with trained officers and connect individuals to appropriate services
• B. They conduct undercover narcotics operations
• C. They respond only to traffic incidents
• D. They replace mental health professionals

Answer: (A)

Crisis Intervention Team work centers on handling mental health crises with trained officers who can de-escalate the situation and connect the person to appropriate services. When someone is in a mental health crisis, these officers use specialized training to communicate calmly, assess risk, and determine the safest, most effective response. Instead of defaulting to arrest, they coordinate with mental health professionals, mobile crisis teams, and community resources to route the person toward treatment and support. This approach aims to reduce harm to the individual and officers, increase access to appropriate care, and improve overall safety.

Other options miss the mark because they describe activities that aren’t about mental health crisis response: undercover narcotics work is unrelated to crisis intervention, responding only to traffic incidents narrows the role far beyond CIT, and replacing mental health professionals suggests removing partners rather than collaborating with them.