Council of State Governments Learning Site

 

Houston was one of six police departments nationwide to be selected in 2010 by the Council of State Governments as a learning site for specialized policing responses for the mentally ill. As a learning site, Houston provides information on its multi-faceted strategies for responding to individuals in serious mental health crises, hosts visitors from across the nation, and trains law enforcement and mental health personnel from across the region, state and nation. Houston started serving as a learning site in January 2011.

 

Frank Webb, M. Ed.
Frank helped develop and implement Houston’s CIT Program and was CIT Coordinator from 1999 to 2006, when the program expanded and was placed under a lieutenant. Officer Webb was the Discipline Chair of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement’s committee that developed the CIT curriculum for the Texas Basic Peace Officers’ Course and was selected to teach the state-mandated 16-hour CIT class to all Texas police chiefs. He received the 100 Club of Houston’s Officer of the Year Award in 1987, the Houston Police Department’s Officer of the Year Award in 2000, and the Houston Police Department’s Instructor of the Year Award in 2010. Frank has also received several awards from the mental health community.

Rebecca Brown, M.A., LPC-S
Rebecca is one of the original HPD Crisis Intervention Response Team (CIRT) officers and has been with the Mental Health Unit since July 2008. Prior to joining HPD, Officer Brown received her B.S. in Psychology and her M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy at the University of Houston – Clear Lake. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor – Supervisor who has worked in the mental health field for over 17 years. Rebecca has served in several leadership positions as a mental health professional, including having served as President of the Houston Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and is currently serving as the first Chair/President for the Texas CIT Association, which is currently being formed.

Ann MacLeod, LPC-S, NCC
Ann is the Program Director for the master level licensed clinicians of the Crisis Intervention Response Team (CIRT) unit and is employed by the Mental Health Mental Retardation Authority (MHMRA) of Harris County, Texas. Ann has a lengthy history in the mental health field. Her experience includes mental health issues from assisting with legislative rules to face-to-face contact with clients. Ann has presented at international, national, and regional behavioral health and law enforcement conferences. Ann holds a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor in the State of Texas and is certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors.

Together, Officers Webb and Brown and Supervisor Ann MacLeod provide Mental Health Peace Officer/CIT training to law enforcement and mental health professionals through the CSG Learning Site program.

 

 Site Visits 2011

Durham, North Carolina

(Above) Members of the Durham (NC) Police Department visited Houston in April to study the department’s innovative programs for responding to individuals in serious mental health crises. Based on what they learned in Houston, the visitors returned to Durham with plans to develop a database, develop more proactive programs, and planned to collaborate more closely with their mental health partners and local universities. Pictured are (left to right): Assistant Chief J. H. Chen, West Patrol Command, Houston Police Department; Executive Assistant Chief K. A. Munden, Field Operations, Houston Police Department; Investigator William Fleeman, Durham Police Department’s CIT Program; Ms. Alanna Jones, Clinical Case Manager for the Durham County Criminal Justice Resource Center partnering with the Durham Police Department’s CIT Program; Corporal Mark Morais, Durham Police Department’s CIT Program; Senior Officer Frank Webb and Officer Rebecca Brown, Mental Health Unit, Houston; Assistant Chief M. D. Slinkard, Forensics Services Command, Houston.

 

 

Denver, Colorado

(Above) Members of the Denver (CO) Police Department visited Houston in August to study  Houston’s programs to respond to the mentally ill. What impressed the visitors from Denver the most was the extent of the collaboration that exists between Houston and its mental health partners, the strong community relations and support for Houston’s programs, Houston’s CIRT program and database. Pictured (left to right): Officer Rebecca Brown, Houston; Officer Susan Gann, Denver Police Department Mental Health Unit; Executive Assistant Chief T. N. Oettmeier, Support Operations, Houston; Sergeant Betty Hale, Denver Police Department Mental Health Unit; and Senior Officer Frank Webb, Houston.

 

 

 

 

 

Texas CIT Training 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 Learning Site Activity 2011

Site visits                                                                                        2
Requests for information                                                         113
40-hour classes taught                                                                5
Agencies trained                                                                         41
Personnel trained (non-HPD)                                                 176

 

 

CIT Training 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Site Visits 2012

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

(Above) Members of the Milwaukee (WI) Police Department visited Houston in July to learn about Houston’s specialized programs to deal with individuals in serious mental health crises. Based on what they learned in Houston, the visitors hoped to develop a comprehensive database, strengthen their collaboration with their mental health partners, revamp their training and work on developing a Crisis Intervention Response Team. Pictured are (left to right) Captain Bruce Williams, Chief’s Office, Houston Police Department; Officer Rebecca Brown, Houston Police Department Mental Health Unit; Executive Assistant Chief Tim Oettmeier, Houston Police Department; Lieutenant Karen Dubis, Criminal Investigations Bureau, Milwaukee Police Department; Sergeant Cherie’ Robertson, CIT Coordinator, Milwaukee Police Department; Officer Chad Stiles, CIT Officer, Milwaukee Police Department; Senior Officer Frank Webb, Houston Police Department Mental  Health Unit. 

 

 

 

 

 

Read more about Improving Responses to People with Mental Illness from the Council of State Governments, Bureau of Justice Assistance.