For the Milwaukee Police Department and Fire and Police Commission
Chapter 5
Use of Force and Deadly Force Practices
Finding 15
MPD has undertaken a commitment to provide all MPD officers Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training.
MPD should continue the CIT training sessions to meet its completion goal of all officers trained by the end of 2017.
MPD should develop on in-service recertification CIT training.
MPD received a $500,000 grant from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and is currently in the process of training all patrol officers in Crisis Intervention Training (CIT). All police officers will attend a 40-hour training course that has been developed to provide police officers with the tools to handle incidents involving people in mental crisis. The primary purpose of CIT is to provide law enforcement with the skills necessary to safely de-escalate situations involving people with mental illness who are in crisis. Since recruit class #3-2014, all new recruits have received this 40 hour block of training during their police academy training, which helps ensure all new recruits become CIT certified. All current MPD police officers will attend the 40-hour training course by the end of 2017 and it is anticipated all supervisors will receive the same training by the end of 2018. MPD is developing an advanced CIT for those members who have voluntarily requested to attend. This will serve as continuing education for department members.
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The CIT training should be viewable by the public so that we know what training officers are receiving. Also, CIT training should be reviewed by mental health organizations, mental health professionals (especially those trained in trauma), and disability rights organizations to ensure that it meets certain standards for interacting with people with mental illness and disabilities.
Officers should be required to take refresher trainings.
very good!
Recommend expanding the CIT training to enhance the ability of officers to recognize when an individual may have an intellectual disability or be on the Autism spectrum and thus able to interact with individual in helpful and appropriate manner.
Additional Crisis Intervention Trainings (CITs) designed to enhance the ability of MPD officers to recognize symptoms of mental health problems should be continued and required.