Crisis Intervention Team
In 2007, the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office and the Rochester Police Department collaborated with the Olmsted County Behavioral Health Unit to provide the first Crisis Intervention Team certification training in Olmsted County.
Our training is based on the nationally recognized Memphis Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model, which promotes a more professional, effective, and humane response by law enforcement officers to individuals who are in crisis including those with mental illnesses. Major topics of the CIT training include: recognition of mental illness, psychopharmacology, on-site visits to local mental health facilities, and crisis de-escalation skills. An important aspect of the training is the involvement of each partner agency. Mental health professionals from area mental health facilities, representatives from NAMI, and mental health consumers are all involved in the training.
CIT training has been proven to dramatically reduce the risk of injury and/or death to both officers and consumers of mental health services while reducing the number of repeat calls for service.
Currently, approximately 60% of Olmsted County Patrol and Detention Deputies and Rochester Police Officers are certified in CIT. Emergency dispatchers are also given training around CIT.
Mission Statement
The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program is a community partnership working with community services, mental health consumers, and family members. Our goal is to set a standard of excellence for our officers with respect to the treatment of individuals with mental illness by establishing rapport with consumers and taking on individual responsibility for each event and overall accountability for the results. Our officers will be provided with the best quality training available, they will be part of a specialized team that can respond to a crisis at any time and they will work with the community and its resources to resolve each situation in a manner that shows concern for the citizen's wellbeing.
Contact Information
Adam Hennen
Deputy/CIT Coordinator
Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office
Email: adam.hennen@olmstedcounty.gov
Paul Gronholz
Sergeant/CIT Coordinator
Rochester Police Department
Email: pgronholz@rochestermn.gov