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Q. What is the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Program?
A. It is a program that educates patrol officers
about mental illness and tactics and techniques to help
verbally de-escalate situations involving individuals in
serious mental health crises.
Q. When should I call for a CIT officer?
A. When the situation involves a person in a serious
mental health crisis.
Q. Who should I call to request a CIT officer?
A. If the situation is an emergency, dial 9-1-1. When
you are transferred to a police department call taker,
request a CIT officer. If the situation is not an emergency,
call the Houston Police Department dispatch directly at
713-884-3131. Tell the call taker the situation involves a
person in a serious mental health crisis and request a CIT
officer.
Q. What is the CIT officer able to do?
A. If the person in mental health crisis voluntarily
wants mental health treatment, the officer may transport the
person to one of three facilities: Ben Taub Hospital if the
person has a serious medical problem in addition to his
mental health problem, the NeuroPsychiatric Center, or the
Veterans Administration Hospital if the person is a veteran
and if he has been seen at the facility previously.
If the person is mentally ill and poses a substantial risk
of imminent harm to self or others, Texas Peace Officers
have the authority to take the individual to a facility for
an emergency mental health evaluation, even if the person is
involuntary. The officer may use whatever force he needs to
get the individual to the facility for evaluation. The
person may be held for up to 48 hours for the evaluation.
During the evaluation, the doctor(s) evaluating the
individual will determine if the individual needs additional
treatment.
If the individual does not pose a substantial risk of harm
to self or others and does not want help, the officer has no
authority to take any action. The officer may make a
referral to the Mental Health Mental Retardation Authority’s
(MHMRA) Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (MCOT).
Q. What if the person is mentally ill and has committed a
crime?
A. If the person is in mental health crisis and has
committed a class C misdemeanor, the officer will not file
the criminal charge. The officer will attempt to seek
assistance for the individual. If the person in crisis has
completed a class B misdemeanor or greater, the
circumstances of the crime will determine if criminal
charges are filed. If criminal charges are filed, the person
in mental health crisis will be brought to the
NeuroPsychiatric Center for a brief evaluation. Once
stabilized, the person will be booked into the Harris County
Jail that has a forensic psychiatric unit in the jail.
Harris County jail personnel will be notified by the
arresting officer(s) of the individual’s mental state.
Q. What are my options if a person is mentally ill but
has not committed a crime and does not pose a substantial
risk of imminent harm to self or others?
A. One option is to call the Mobile Crisis Outreach Team
(MCOT) if you are in Harris County. This is a team of mental
health professionals who respond to individuals in the
community (the person’s residence, on the street, in
schools, etc.) The team will conduct an on-site evaluation
of the person and attempt to stabilize him and link him to
treatment. Follow-up visits may be scheduled. MCOT members
do not have the authority to take forcible action. In
Houston, MCOT members work closely with the Houston Police
Department’s Crisis Intervention Team. MCOT members will
call for a CIT officer to respond to an individual in
serious mental health crisis who poses a substantial risk of
imminent harm to self or others.
A second option is to go to the Mental Health Division of
the Harris County Clerk's Office. The Mental Health Division
is located at the University of Texas Harris County
Psychiatric Center (UTHCPC), 2800 South MacGregor Way, and
open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except
holidays. The telephone number is 713-741-6024.
Anyone over the age of 18 who has personal knowledge of
someone they believe poses a danger to him or herself or to
others, but the danger is not imminent and does not require
the immediate intervention of law enforcement personnel, may
request a mental health warrant.
Involuntary Commitment Process for Adults
To begin the involuntary commitment process, the applicant
(person who is filing for commitment) requests and completes
an application for a warrant from the Mental Health Division
of Harris County Clerk's Office at UTHCPC. MHMRA staff at
UTHCPC screen applicants once a bed is available.
A warrant may then be issued by the Harris County Clerk's
Office. The whereabouts of the person must be known so that
a Harris County Deputy Constable may take the person to
UTHCPC.
The UTHCPC physician must provide a medical certificate
within 24 hours of the patient's admission in order for the
court to determine if it is necessary to issue an order of
protective custody (OPC). Once the OPC is issued, an
attorney is appointed to the case. Probate Courts #3 and 4
are located at UTHCPC, 2800 South MacGregor Way, and may be
contacted by calling 713-741-6020.
Within 72 hours of the issuance of the OPC, the probable
cause hearing is held in which the judge determines whether
to hold the person at UTHCPC until the mental health
hearing. The applicant does not have to be present at this
hearing.
The mental health hearing must occur within two weeks of
detention. In Harris County, this final hearing is usually
within eight days. During the mental health hearing, the
court determines the appropriate treatment based on
testimony provided by the applicant (usually a family member
or friend), medical experts and the patient. The result of
the hearing may be:
· Dismissal
· A court order for outpatient treatment
· Inpatient hospitalization
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