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Crisis Intervention Training
The percentage of active-duty commissioned police officers and sergeants in the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department who have completed a voluntary 40-hour Crisis Intervention Team training
74% of patrol officers have chosen to complete Crisis Intervention Team training.
For Crisis Intervention Training, a score of 100 would mean all active St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers have completed intensive crisis intervention training.
More Information
What does this indicator measure?
Crisis Intervention Training measures the percentage of active-duty commissioned police officers and sergeants in the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department who have completed a voluntary 40-hour Crisis Intervention Team training. Crisis Intervention Team training is designed to help officers prepare to intervene in crises involving people who have a perceived or actual mental health diagnosis.
Crisis Intervention Training Analysis
Active SLMPD officers who have completed crisis intervention training as of April 2018 in St. Louis City.
| CIT-Trained Officers | 766 |
|---|---|
| All Officers | 1,029 |
| Percentage of Officers that are CIT-Trained | 74% |
| Equity Score | 74 |
Data Source: St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, 2018.
Data Note: The number of trained officers is an estimate based on the Crisis Intervention Training Coordinator’s notes on which active-duty officers have not yet received the training. The Department regularly loses CIT-trained officers to attrition and gains non-CIT-trained probationary officers.
What does this analysis mean?
The majority of officers who interact with citizens on the street (74%) have received crisis intervention training. The department is striving for 100% compliance.
Why does Crisis Intervention Training matter?
Crisis intervention training is designed to help officers intervene in crises involving people who have a perceived or actual mental health diagnosis. It encompasses everything from understanding the effects of different medications, recognizing development and mood disorders, and working with special populations such as youth and veterans. A central part of the training is teaching officers active listening and de-escalation skills and techniques. The Ferguson Commission report calls for additional training for officers, based on findings supporting the “value, power, and potential of training to produce more effective, more capable, and better police officers.” More officer training benefits minority communities in particular, because they interact with police more often than white residents.
Which Calls to Action from the Ferguson Commission report are linked with this indicator?
The Ferguson Commission’s calls to action related to police training include:
Questions for further investigation
- How effective are trainings in reducing use of force?
- How effective are trainings in reducing negative encounters with the police?
- What can St. Louis do to increase officer training?
- What initiatives are currently underway to increase training for officers?
