The Academic Training to Inform Police Responses is pleased to announce the release of the Crisis Response and Intervention Training (CRIT)! This FREE training curriculum is available for on-demand download and is designed to be customized to the needs of your community.

The CRIT is a 40-hour training program designed to enhance police officers’ responses to people experiencing crises related to behavioral health conditions and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The curriculum covers topics related to mental health, substance use, effective responses to behavioral health crises, IDD, and effective responses to people with IDD.

The CRIT is designed for law enforcement officers who have not been trained in crisis intervention skills or who would like to update their training. The curriculum is a mix of presentations and scenario-based learning, in which officers apply the skills they are learning to real-life situations from the field.

The CRIT Toolkit is a comprehensive training package designed with ease in mind. It is composed of the following sections:

  • PowerPoint presentations for each module
  • Instructor guide with detailed notes, considerations, and talking points for each slide
  • Training materials, including handouts and activity instructions
  • Evaluation materials, including pre- and post-training surveys

Many modules have customizable sections that provide the opportunity to invite local community partners, family members, and people with lived experience to present. This customization enriches the training for your community and allows trainees to walk away with a localized view of available resources.

The CRIT curriculum was piloted in four police departments. Their participation helped to inform and enhance the curriculum. The four pilot sites were the Corvallis Police Department (Oregon), Shreveport Police Department (Louisiana), Pittsburgh Bureau of Police (Pennsylvania), and Rapid City Police Department (South Dakota).

The CRIT was made possible with the support of the Bureau of Justice Assistance. Partners in this effort included the University of Cincinnati, The Arc, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the National Policing Institute.

The Academic Training to Inform Police Responses team is designing video and audio supplements to the trainer guide to enhance the CRIT Toolkit. Watch for updates in the coming months!