It began with a sad event in 1998. A Memphis police officer shot and killed an unarmed, mentally ill man in a difficult and volatile situation. The Memphis police department responded with a new training program for crisis intervention which by 2000 was taking hold nationwide. This growing trend to address the psychological element in social and mental health emergencies is designed to address immediate needs with intensive assistance, and referrals for longer term help.

Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) is a team approach. Police, medical and other emergency personnel are often the first responders, but community volunteers and staff from nonprofit agencies may also be first responders in the form of hotline crisis counseling and in-person advocacy. Probation officers, rehabilitation centers, and family members also benefit from this training; almost anyone may encounter someone in crisis mode.

"Crisis" encompasses response to trauma (new or old), short-term mental disturbance or long-term mental illness, sexual assault/rape, and domestic violence. It can also mean a combination of those. Suicidal feelings may be a part of any of these and often is, at least temporarily.

What do you say to someone who hints or directly threatens suicide? How can you tell if someone is likely to act violently toward self or others? What should you not say, how should you behave to diffuse the situation? What sort of behavior is "normal" for a rape victim; why do they often feel guilt or shame and vary reports? Can you convince a domestic violence victim to leave or file charges; why is that so difficult?

CIT provides answers.

As District Judge John Mitchell put it, "CIT really keeps a bad situation from escalating into a worse or tragic situation." Mitchell, who spearheaded mental health/drug court creation in Kootenai County, hopes that one day every law enforcement officer will have CIT training. So far since North Idaho's first CIT Academy in 2009, 55 officers have been trained.

In the world of law enforcement CIT is an evidence-based, pre-booking jail diversion program designed to improve outcomes of police interactions with people with mental illness, reducing incidents of violence and diverting individuals from punitive incarceration to appropriate, community-based medical treatment. Practically speaking that's easier said than done; without a local intervention facility some people must be transported all the way to Lewiston until evaluated. To fix that a team of stakeholders, including Judge Mitchell, police agencies, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), and Kootenai County commissioners are working to create a crisis "hold facility" in North Idaho, with detox and mental health elements to improve interventions and reduce police time.

Other forms of CIT more resemble counseling, such as in the case of hotlines and hospital advocacy. In 2004 through the North Idaho Violence Prevention Center (formerly Women's Center) I took free CIT training courses for domestic violence and sexual assault. These courses increase practical understanding and compassion, reduce discomfort. They made me more effective in crisis situations overall, both as a volunteer and with friends and family.

CIT training benefits everyone - the community, the individual, even the government. Resource costs run high for unaddressed mental health issues; they mean more emergency room visits, 911 calls, jail beds, and poor school and work performance.

Back to Memphis, the year following implementation of their CIT program saw 80 percent fewer injuries sustained by police in mental disturbance calls. CIT works, as Major Sam Cochran of Memphis P.D. will tell a Sandpoint audience Wednesday at the CIT annual banquet sponsored by NAMI.

If you're interested in CIT or volunteering in crisis situations please send me an email; I'll do my best to partner you with the appropriate agency.

Sholeh Patrick is an attorney and a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Email sholehjo@hotmail.com.