The Sheriff’s Office Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is comprised of collaterally assigned deputies and a sergeant. The purpose of the team is to provide total care for persons who are in crisis, both during the incident and in the weeks, months, and sometimes years after.
The team also strives to reduce crisis calls and incidents by staying involved with those people who frequently experience crisis as a preventative measure. In the last year, there has been a decline in the amount of mental health detentions. In 2017, there were 507 persons detained for 5150 Welfare and Institutions code (W&I) mental health evaluations. In 2018, this number decreased to 463 persons detained.
The CIT Deputies balance an ongoing caseload of clients along with their regularly assigned duties within the Sheriff’s Office. All reports taken of someone in crisis are reviewed by the CIT Sergeant, and a specific disposition for each case is determined according to the needs of the client. CIT Deputies may close the case after one follow up, or in some cases keep the client
on their caseload for years and maintain contact to monitor and assist them with success.
The case dispositions are as follows:
Operations
19
Crisis Intervention Team
Multi-Disciplinary Team
A large part of the CIT program is collaborating with several other departments and agencies within El Dorado County. This collaboration, called the Multi Discipline Team (MDT), meets monthly and discusses the needs and issues facing mentally ill persons in our community. Some members of the MDT are County Mental Health, Sheriff’s Office Patrol and Corrections, Placerville Police, South Lake Tahoe Police, Public Guardian, CHP, APS, NAMI, local hospital representatives, and El Dorado County Probation. The duties of the MDT are to evaluate the needs of consumers, develop solutions, and
strengthen working relationships
between participating agencies
towards the goal of providing better
services to consumers.
Assigned to a CIT deputy for further follow-up. This involves contacting the consumer and linking the consumer to services.
Mail Resource Packet are cases that do
not warrant a physical follow up, such as
vague threats without a means to
conduct harm as well as persons
detained for 5150 who seek mental
health services on their own. The
resource pack was developed in
conjunction with County Mental Health,
NAMI and EDSO CIT Sergeants. The
pack lists local resources that are
available, a 911 flyer explaining how to
report a mental health emergency and a
medical history form.
Closed due to person living out of the area. CIT deputies may also close a case after successful follow up, or linking the consumer with services in a care facility such as Summit View.