The Denver Police Department has often been the catalyst for community change. When a need has been identified by the Denver Police Department, action has been taken to adequately address that need, especially in the area of community safety. Recent trends in police departments across the country involve police contact with individuals having a mental illness. There is growing collaboration across the country between mental health and law enforcement to partner in response to the number of individuals with mental illness using the police as "first responders" in crises.
CIT classes have been held by the Denver Police Department since 2002. The 40 hour CIT class is the "front end" of the CIT program and officers get basic awareness and training in issues related to mental illness and developmental disabilities. To date over 700 officers have been trained. Others in attendance and certified by the DPD CIT class have included adult probation officers, Denver Department of Human Services' workers, Office of the Independent Monitor staff and Denver Sheriff's Department. Denver Police Department communication center call takers and dispatchers are also trained in a 16 hour CIT class designed for radio room personnel.
Current partners for referral and collaboration are Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Stout Street Clinic, the Veteran's Administration, Denver's Road Home, Denver Sheriff's Department, Denver Adult Probation, Denver Health and Hospitals, NAMI Denver, Access Behavioral Care, Denver Department of Human Services, Mental Health Center of Denver, Denver Options, CHARG Resources and CAPRA. The list continues to expand.
The necessary components for success are treatment, housing and employment or education. The initial contact an individual may have with a police officer can set in motion possibilities for them in either re-connecting them with a case manager, or helping assist them in finding needed resources.