To expand current CIT programming, the alton police department, in partnership with sacred spaces of care, is developing the rise (restorative intervention support efforts) initiative

Sacred spaces of care is a community-based not-for-profit organization that will partner with the department to engage in collaborative, trauma-informed practices to educate, further equip, appropriately support, and safely respond to crises. The initiation of rise allows the crisis intervention team to implement a more comprehensive, evidence-based approach to addressing prevalent mental health needs by embedding behavioral health alongside law enforcement to promote a safer and healthier community. Through this partnership, CIT coordination will be a mutual effort of both agencies based upon thorough needs assessment and the implementation of best practices. The trauma-informed organizational self-assessment (trauma informed care project) and the police-mental health collaboration self-assessment tool (PMHC) will be used to evaluate internal department policies, procedures, practices, and programs, to identify gaps, prioritize needs, and to design actionable steps to guide implementation and develop integrated strategies and supports. Trauma-informed mental health education will be facilitated internally within the department to equip staff, including dispatch and officers, with strategies and tools. In addition, the rise initiative will implement a tailored model to address community crisis needs that will incorporate CIT and CO-response, along with embedding follow-up services and linkage to resources for individuals and families experiencing crisis. The sequential intercept model (SAMHSA), will be utilized alongside community partners, to provide both baseline and ongoing aggregate data that guides decision-making before, during, and after project implementation to measure progress, evaluate project effectiveness, and document evidence of impact. The rise initiative aims to equip law enforcement and all community stakeholders with strategies to intentionally support individuals in crisis in an effort to divert from the justice system, reduce barriers to care, and navigate toward appropriate care.