In 2015, the University Police Department recognized a need to train officers in crisis intervention in order to better support the needs of the AU community. The police department started sending officers to Crisis Intervention Officer training at the Metropolitan Police Academy located in Washington, DC.

In 2016, AU Police developed their own Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program in partnership with the AU Counseling Center, DC’s Department of Behavioral Health, and the DC Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Since then, the AU CIT program has trained over 100 people—law enforcement officers, mental health professionals, and community partners in Crisis Intervention. 

Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) is an innovative police based first responder program that has become nationally known as the “Memphis Model” of pre-arrest jail diversion for those in a mental illness crisis. The AU training is based on the “Memphis Model” with an emphasis on providing support to people who may be experiencing a crisis. The AU CIT program also values greatly its close working relationship with the AU Counseling Center and the partnerships it has established with the Department of Behavioral Health and NAMI DC. Without these partnerships the team would not be what it is today.   

Request CIT Officer Assistance 

Would you like to speak with a crisis intervention officer or do you know someone in the midst of a crisis and are not sure who to call? Contact University Police at (202) 885-3636 for assistance.