Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Program

The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program is a community partnership of law enforcement, mental health and addiction professionals, individuals who live with mental illness and/or addiction disorders, their families and other advocates. It is an innovative first-responder model of police-based crisis intervention training to help persons with mental disorders and/or addictions access medical treatment rather than place them in the criminal justice system due to illness related behaviors. It also promotes officer safety and the safety of the individual in crisis.

CIT is a program that provides the foundation necessary to promote community and statewide solutions to assist individuals with a mental illness and/or addictions. The CIT Model reduces both stigma and the need for further involvement with the criminal justice system. CIT provides a forum for effective problem solving regarding the interaction between the criminal justice and mental health care system and creates the context for sustainable change.

Research also shows that communities that prescribe to the CIT Program model, have higher success rates in resolving serious crisis situations.

Basic Goals:

Improve officer and individual safety
To help people with mental disorders and/or addictions access medical treatment rather than place them in the criminal justice system due to illness related behaviors.

The Michigan CIT is a statewide partnership dedicated to the advancement of CIT at local and state levels. The Michigan CIT Team supports the basic goals of CIT International:

Improve officer and community safety
Increase access to treatment for people with mental health and substance use disorders in the criminal legal system, including expansion of pre‐booking diversion programs
Advocate for CIT development at local, regional, and state levels through the use of councils, legislature, annual state conference, and funding

Click here to read more about the Michigan CIT.

The Oakland County CIT training is a 40-hour comprehensive training provided to law enforcement on mental health. The goal of the training is to teach officers to de-escalate situations where an individual is in crisis. This training is a collaborative effort between Oakland Community Health Network, local law enforcement agencies, and local agencies.

For more information on the Oakland County CIT training, please contact Trisha Zizumbo at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Cathie Yunker at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

2020 Oakland County CIT Training will be held on November 2 through November 6. The training is currently full but if you'd like to be added onto a wait list, please email Trisha Zizumbo at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..