The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is a unit of specially trained officers within the Austin Police Department (APD) who act as liaisons between the officers assigned to patrol and the facilities, providers, and consumers within the mental health community. CIT officers also respond to calls for service as outlined in this order.

Crisis Intervention Team

Formerly known as the Mental Health Unit, the Austin Police Department Crisis Intervention Team Program was created in 1999 to address the rising need for education, training, and tactics for law enforcement with regards to situations involving persons who are suffering from a mental illness.

CIT programs are local initiatives designed to improve the way law enforcement and the community respond to people experiencing mental health crises. They are built on strong partnerships between law enforcement, mental health provider agencies and individuals and families affected by mental illness.

All officers at the Austin Police Department are trained in crisis intervention and are a part of the CIT program. The Department is dedicated to finding solutions to assist anyone in need. Collaboration with the medical community is a crucial element in aiding those in crisis. The Department is committed to ensuring that all officers evaluate individuals experiencing a crisis and provide them with available options if they choose to seek help.

CIT Program:
  • 24/7 officer coverage
  • All officers are trained in Crisis Intervention and perform emergency detentions in our community.
  • Collaborate with our community partners and may request resources to their scene.
  • EMCOT program: Expanded Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (EMCOT) - A group of medical or mental health professionals who respond to the scene of a psychiatric crisis, assisting officers with jail diversion and emergency detentions. A partnership with Integral Care.
  • All Officers may request a license EMCOT clinician to their scene to connect those in a mental health crisis with treatment and services.
Local Resources:
  • 911; Any citizen can call 911 and request mental health services. Integral Care, local mental health authority, collocated with our emergency 911 services dispatch. The 911 call taker can intake the information being shared by the caller and connect them with the most appropriate resource needed: “Are you calling for Police, Fire, EMS—or Mental Health Services?”
  • “This groundbreaking approach ensures that people experiencing a mental health crisis receive a compassionate, clinically appropriate response, often avoiding unnecessary law enforcement involvement, arrests, and hospitalizations.”

Austin Redefines 911 Crisis Response - Integral Care

Specific duties of the CIT Unit:
  • CIT Program Managers:
  • Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Unit - A unit of specially trained officers within APD who act as liaisons between the officers assigned to patrol and the facilities, providers, and consumers within the mental health community. Formerly known as the Mental Health Unit, the Austin Police Department Crisis Intervention Team Program was created in 1999 to address the rising need for education, training, and tactics for law enforcement with regards to situations involving persons who are suffering from a mental illness.
  • Austin Cares:

Austin CARES serves as a central resource and liaison between officers, the community, and partner agencies to support individuals in crisis. The team is made up of APD Mental Health Officers, Integral Care clinicians, and a Community Health Paramedic. Each organization nominates subjects, and together the team leverages its combined resources to create plans that help individuals connect with the services they need. Because this work occurs after the immediate 911 response or time of crisis, the team has the opportunity to collaborate more fully and develop longer-term solutions that promote stability and safety.

  • Department Trainers for APD.
  • Members of the CIT unit are the subject matter experts (SME) for the department and provide all the training for our officers on Crisis Intervention.
  • All officers in the Austin Police department receive 40 hours of Crisis Intervention and an additional 16 hours of de-escalation training.
  • The CIT Training program is approximately 60% co-taught with outside the department SME’s in the mental health field.   
  • Agencies we work with:
  • Integral Care: Integral Care- Counseling & Mental Health - Home
  • Bluebonnet: https://bbtrails.org/
  • MILVET: Military Veteran Peer Network - VMHD
  • NAMI: https://www.nami.org/
  • Liaison with the community:
  • Hospitals, mental health professions, officers, LEO’s etc.  
  • Set policy and manage the CIT program.
  • Incident review
  • Select cases are reviewed by the CIT unit for further investigation, follow up or referral to other resources.
  • HOST: Homeless Outreach Street Team | AustinTexas.gov
  • Manage the HOST program