December 7, 2018
The Richmond Police
Department is poised to expand its Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) with the
goal of having every one of its officers CIT-certified within two years. The
training, conducted in partnership with the Richmond Behavioral Health Authority
(RBHA), teaches officers how to deal with people in crisis.
“Ten years ago when we
started, the RPD was one of the first police departments in the Commonwealth to
train its officers in crisis intervention,” said RPD Chief Alfred Durham. “So
far, we have trained approximately two-thirds of our force and now we will
complete the process by training the rest. In addition, we will CIT-train all
incoming recruits starting with the next class.”
“Being a police officer
is challenging work, so it is critically important that our officers have the
training and tools necessary to respond appropriately to any crisis they
encounter,” said Mayor Levar. M. Stoney. “I applaud and appreciate the work of
Chief Durham to set this plan in motion and move RPD to 100 percent
CIT-certification.”
Within two years, every
sworn officer will have received training. The plan will:
- Add two additional CIT classes each year – from four to
six
- Increase class enrollment as needed
- Train all RPD recruits following eight-weeks of Field Training
The CIT course covers a
variety of issues that relate to people in crisis including substance abuse,
mental illness and suicide prevention. There are several segments to the course
including lectures, discussions and role playing.
Approximately 485 of
the 587 RPD officers who have been trained remain on the force. They are the
officers who are most likely to be called to crisis situations. The course has
also been offered to 41 other mostly law enforcement agencies with 210 persons trained.
“One of the challenges
we’ve faced is to keep up with attrition within the Department,” said Chief
Durham. “That’s why we are constantly hiring and training new officers. CIT is
no exception.”
Recently, two
CIT-certified RPD officers were presented Bronze Valor Awards by the Retail
Merchants Association for saving a man threatening suicide.
Additional CIT
information is available on the RPD website - www.richmondgov.com/police
