The west orange police department (wopd) is requesting $175,000 for overtime and travel costs to send a total of 62 officers to crisis intervention team (CIT) training

The purpose of sending wopd officers to this training is to strengthen the CO-response efforts between officers and mental health professionals when responding to incidents involving mental health. Currently, the wopd only has one officer certified in this training, however, responding to mental health calls is a department wide effort and we must be prepared to serve at any time. As such, this project will support organizational change efforts that work toward the creation of a culture of DE-escalation within our agency. As the mental health crisis continues to rise, IT is important for our officers to receive training on how to handle these situations in a manner that promotes safety and respect. Therefore, the wopd would like to send 62 officers to CIT training. The new jersey crisis intervention team center of excellence was founded in 2007 as a technical support center to assist NJ counties in developing and implementing the memphis, tennessee CIT model. The CIT course is a 40-hour, five day training for law enforcement officers and mental health professionals. The curriculum is comprised of classroom instruction, community site visits, and practical exercises delivered by local mental health professionals, CIT law enforcement instructors, and other subject matter experts.