I apologize for sending out the wrong piece about the CIT application. The appropriate information is listed below. Sorry for any confusion
With funds from the NYS Senate, and in collaboration with the NYS Office of Mental Health, the Institute for Police, Mental Health & Community Collaboration has released a Crisis Intervention Team Program Development Application that can be accessed here (https://nyscit.org/). The application is for communities in NYS (outside of NYC) that do not currently have a CIT program. Please note that the application is due on July 22, 2021.
As detailed in the Background section of the application, CIT programs have two main goals: 1) to transform crisis response systems to minimize the times that law enforcement officers are the first responders to individuals in emotional distress, and 2) to ensure that when police are the first responders that they have the knowledge, skills and support to de-escalate situations and divert individuals from the criminal and juvenile justice systems, when possible.
CIT has long been a priority to MHANYS as an evidence based tool in educating law enforcement about responding to a mental health crisis. As we move forward with a more robust plan for crisis services, CIT will certainly be a major component of this vision
