Implement your Plan
What is Involved?
Implementation occurs when the Steering Committee fits together the pieces of the model and adapts them to the community. Partner agencies may implement new policies that support CIT and define the responsibilities of each partner agency during a crisis. Communities also finalize their training curricula and plan training while law enforcement leaders select officers best suited to be CIT Officers.
Why is it Important?
Throughout the process of implementation, community partnerships are the foundation of CIT. While the operational elements —coordinators, training, policies—are important, the unique value of CIT is in the agreements and unison of the partnerships. At this point, partners should be in agreement about the community's strengths and needs, and should promote changes based on the realities and needs of the community. Some communities will formalize the new process that they are committing to with a written agreement such as a memorandum of understanding (MOU). This is not always necessary, but a shared sense of ownership and commitment is essential to sustaining the program.
Who is Involved?
As in previous steps, implementation requires a core group of law enforcement, mental health providers and advocates working together. However, at this point, the Steering Committee should reach out to all the agencies, organizations and individuals who intersect with the crisis response system such as emergency rooms, emergency medical services, social services, youth services, and veteran's services. Since CIT is a 24-hour crisis first responder program it will require coordination among a variety of first responders and service providers. It also requires buy-in from both agency leaders and front-line staff.
How long does it take?
There is no strict timeline for implementation. Sometimes communities hesitate at this stage because they lack a particular mental health service. Such hesitation risks undoing all the work done so far. It's important to keep the momentum moving forward, and keep an open mind about timelines and expectations. The community mental health system does not need to be perfect in order for your community to benefit from CIT.
What is Next?
To implement your plan, it is necessary to engage in a series of tasks. It is important to develop a memorandum, develop policies, recruit trainers, select officers, adapt the curriculum, attend a train the trainer, hold training, and plan for media attention. You can find additional information about these tasks on the menu to the left.