The Effects of Mandatory Crisis Intervention Training on Police Use of Force

• In Event: Police Policies and Procedures

Abstract

Basic research in the use of police Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) and related crisis intervention training is lacking (Compton, Bahora, Watson, & Oliva, 2008), as is research on the benefits of universal training versus self-selected teams (Compton, Broussard, Hankerson-Dyson, Krishan, & Stewart-Hutto, 2011). Using a quasi-experimental design, this paper explores the effects of CIT training on cases involving use of force with a cohort of 140 officers receiving mandatory Crisis Intervention Training between June 13, 2008 and December 12, 2008. Previous studies looking at police use of force and CIT have employed outcome measures such as SWAT call outs (Compton, Berivan, Oliva, & Boyce, 2009), officers’ preferred options after reviewing vignettes (Compton, Demir Neubert, Broussard, McGrif, Morgan, & Oliva, 2011) or officers’ recollection of the force they used in their last encounters involving a person in crisis (Moribito, Kerr, Watson, Draine, Ottati, & Angel, 2012). In contrast, this paper utilizes the reported police cases of force to gauge the effects of this training on police use of force. This paper builds on the existing literature around police use of force and CIT training by matching training to outcomes in the field.

Authors

• Greg Stewart, Portland Police Bureau / Portland State University

• Kris Henning, Portland State University

• Liesbeth Gerritsen, Portland Police Bureau

• Emma Covelli, Portland Police Bureau