On the front page of its Science Times section, the New York Times (4/25, Goode, Subscription Publication) reports in a 1,800-word article that a growing number of police departments across the US are now turning to crisis intervention team training (CIT). Research has suggested that such “training can alter the way officers view people with mental illness.” What’s more, the CIT “approach, which teaches officers ways to defuse potentially violent encounters before force becomes necessary, is useful for officers facing any volatile situation,” even situations in which no mental health crisis is “involved, law enforcement experts say.”
Related Links:
— “For Police, a Playbook for Conflicts Involving Mental Illness,” Erica Goode, New York Times, April 25, 2016.