Bill to Establish Crisis Intervention Teams Will be Introduced Tuesday

From the Office of Councilmember Dawn Luedtke: “Bill would help individuals in crisis by coordinating Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services and Montgomery County Police Department responses 

Councilmember Dawn Luedtke will introduce legislation tomorrow to establish an innovative model to respond to individuals in crisis that has proven to be more effective at deescalating potentially violent situations, divert individuals from the criminal justice system and increase access to needed follow-up services.

Bill 43-23, Crisis Intervention Team – Established, would create Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) as a joint program of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services and the Montgomery County Police Department. Each CIT team is composed of one clinician and one law enforcement officer who co-locate, co-deploy and co-respond to calls regarding an individual who may be experiencing a mental or behavioral health crisis and pose a significant risk of danger to themselves or others in a model that is increasingly being deployed across the country.

Many of the elements of CIT are already in place in Montgomery County, which has made significant strides in establishing clinician-response to support those in crisis. Bill 42-23 would continue the County’s progress by creating a cohesive, navigable and easily identifiable crisis response system. The formalization of CIT within the County will ensure that the program is funded and expanded over time to meet the demands of this jurisdiction.

“The right type of response to someone who may be in crisis is critically important to reaching that individual and ensuring their safety and the safety of everyone around them,” Councilmember Luedtke said. “CIT is a proven model because it emphasizes the right type of response and supports further intervention and wraparound services that are equally important in preventing and mitigating future crises.”

The bill would establish an advisory committee of stakeholders both inside and outside of County government who will collaborate with advocates, identify best practices and inform the CIT team’s procedures. This advisory body will also liaise with the new State CIT Center of Excellence, which was created for the purpose of issuing guidance to the counties so that CIT is adopted and implemented by all jurisdictions in a coordinated fashion. Nothing in this bill eliminates, supersedes, replaces or otherwise interferes with the Mobile Crisis Outreach Teams’ clinician-only responses.

“CIT adds another option in a menu of options for response. Since crises can present in many ways, it’s imperative the system is flexible enough to meet folks where they are,” Luedtke said.

Learn more about Bill 43-23 here.”