The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training is a dynamic collaboration of professionals committed to people with mental illness and other brain disorders. The CIT program is presented by the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, and the Georgia Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Law enforcement officers who are trained in CIT can effectively assist individuals with mental illness and other brain disorders who are in crisis, therefore advancing public safety and reducing the stigma commonly associated with mental illness. The training will also ensure that people with mental illnesses and other brain disorders always receive treatment, in lieu of incarceration in most cases.

The program is a forty-hour course curriculum approved by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council as follows:

  1. Classroom instructional training involving various mental health topics that address mental illnesses, developmental disabilities, and addictive diseases
  2. Site visits to local emergency receiving facilities and state psychiatric hospitals
  3. Performance-based training involving the development of de-escalation techniques and crisis intervention skills via role-play scenarios

Law enforcement officers who successfully complete the course are equipped with the skills necessary to safely and effectively respond to individuals with mental health needs and in crisis. For further information, please contact GPSTC CIT at (478) 993-4235. We thank everyone for their commitment, and look forward to hearing from you.