Policy Text
San Francisco Police Department DGO 5.21
GENERAL ORDER 12/21/16
1THE CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAM (CIT) RESPONSE TO
PERSON IN CRISIS CALLS FOR SERVICE
The San Francisco Police Department’s highest priority is safeguarding the life, dignity and
liberty of all persons. Officers shall demonstrate this commitment in their daily interactions with
the community they are sworn to protect and serve. The Department is committed to
accomplishing this mission by using rapport-building communication, crisis intervention, and de-
escalation principles, whenever feasible, before resorting to force.
The Department is dedicated to providing the highest level of service to all communities,
including individuals diagnosed with mental illnesses or other disabilities, as well as those
suffering from the adverse consequences of substance abuse and personal behavioral crises.
The Department has adopted the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program to address persons in
crisis incidents. CIT members shall use tactics consistent with CIT training to address persons in
crisis incidents, with the safety of all of persons being considered.
This order establishes the Department’s policy and procedures for the Crisis Intervention Team
Response to Person in Crisis Calls for Service.
I. POLICY
It is the Department’s policy to develop, implement and incorporate the CIT program
within the district stations daily operations in a manner that prepares members to respond
to persons in crisis incidents and, as a team, formulate a plan, establish rapport, and use
de-escalation tactics (including tactical repositioning and creating time and distance),
whenever possible. The goal of this order is to safely resolve person in crisis incidents
without the use of force, whenever possible, and to refer persons in crisis to community
mental health service providers or other resources, as appropriate.
II. TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
A.CIT Mental Health Working Group: A group consisting of mental health service
providers, advocates, community members, consumers of mental health services,
their families, and representatives from City departments and agencies who work in
partnership with and provide advice to the Police Department, through the CIT
Coordinator, on crisis intervention training and policies.
B.Person in Crisis: A person who is experiencing mental and/or emotional distress,
including people suffering from the adverse effects of substance abuse, who is in
need of assistance and/or poses a danger to the community or themselves.
C.Crisis Intervention Training: 40 Hour California Peace Officer Standards &
Training (POST) certified course of instruction which includes, but is not limited to,
crisis de-escalation, signs and symptoms of mental illnesses and substance abuse,
and recognizing persons in behavioral crisis.
San Francisco Police Department DGO 5.21
GENERAL ORDER 12/21 /16
2D.CIT Coordinator: A sworn member, designated by the Chief of Police, to oversee
the CIT program and CIT administrator.
E.CIT Administrator: A sworn member assigned to complete the administrative tasks
of the CIT program, such as, scheduling training, data collection, program
evaluations, officer applications, reports and webpage development.
F.CIT Liaison Officers: District Station Captains shall designate, at a minimum, a
sergeant and an officer to serve as the CIT Liaison Officers who will network with
the CIT Administrator and Coordinator. The CIT Liaison Officers shall provide CIT
roll-call training, provide members information on CIT resources, participate in
debriefings on CIT-related incidents, and attend other meetings as indicated by the
CIT Coordinator.
G.CIT Member: CIT POST certified officer who responds to person in crisis incidents
as a contact officer, lethal, less-lethal or resource officer in an effort to resolve the
incident.
H.Crisis Intervention Team: CIT team members are officers who respond to a person
in crisis incident utilizing CIT team concepts in an effort to resolve the incident. All
members who attend the POST 40 hour Crisis Intervention Training and the 10 hour
CIT Field Tactics training will be designated as a Crisis Intervention Team member
and may be assigned to CIT team responsibilities outlined in this order.
I.Contact Officer: The CIT trained officer who contacts a person in crisis (utilizing
the T.A.C.T. approach: Tone, Atmosphere, Communication, and Time) to establish
rapport with that individual in an effort to resolve crisis incidents and refer the
individual to services, as appropriate.
J.Lethal Cover Officer: An Officer designated to protect the Contact and Less-Lethal
Cover Officer and to have ready to deploy, if necessary, lethal force options.
K.Less-Lethal Cover Officer: An officer designated to have ready and deploy, if
necessary, the Extended Range Impact Weapon or other less-lethal force options.
L.Resource Officer: Officer assigned to brief the supervisor and other arriving units at
the scene. As directed by a sergeant or superior officer, the Resource Officer will
coordinate traffic control, crowd control, etc. and request additional resources, (i.e.,
Hostage/Crisis Negotiations Team, Tactical Units, additional officers).
III. PROCEDURES
A.The Department of Emergency Management (DEM) will identify calls for service
that involve a person in crisis and will request a CIT member respond to such calls for
service.
B.Response:
1.CIT officers are expected to perform their regularly assigned duties and
respond to person in crisis related calls as soon as practical. CIT members
San Francisco Police Department DGO 5.21
GENERAL ORDER 12/21 /16
3shall, if feasible, respond immediately to CIT calls for service and assume the
roles of Contact Officer, Lethal Cover Officer, Less-Lethal Cover Officer, or
Resource Officer.
2.When non-CIT officers are dispatched to or on-view a person in crisis
incident, the non-CIT officer shall request a CIT officer, as soon