CPD Crisis Intervention Team Training Graduation

CHATTANOOGA, TN. – Over three dozen officers from the Chattanooga Police Department and other agencies received certificates from the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Training School this afternoon in a ceremony at the Family Justice Center in Chattanooga.

CIT training is designed to improve officers’ understanding of mental illness and communication skills, helping officers better deal with mental health crises they find when they respond to calls.

“Today’s policing requires a different and deeper set of skills,” said Lieutenant Tim Tomisek, Commander of the Intelligence Division at the Chattanooga Police Department. “Officers more than ever in 2023 need a better understanding of mental illness, legalities, an advanced proficiency in verbal de-escalation, and to know what resources are available to them and applicable.”

Tomisek has been with the Department for 22 years and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Crisis Response and Trauma Counseling.

Training for the 38 participants included classroom lectures, scenario-based role play, and visits to various mental health facilities and group homes where the participants interacted with people struggling with various types of mental illness. It was supported by the Chattanooga Police Department, the Cleveland Police Department, and through private donations.

The Chattanooga Police Department established a Crisis Co-Response Unit (CCRU) in December of 2021 to respond to individuals experiencing mental health who are coming in contact with law enforcement. In its first year-and-a-half, the CCRU diverted 65 cases from the jail and 92 cases from emergency rooms saving taxpayer money in jail costs and indigent medical care. The team currently consists of CIT Officer Brandon Watson, Co-Responder Manager Belen Garcia-Rivas, and two grant-funded social workers. Officer Watson is instrumental as a leader in the CIT program and in the CIT school.