Page 146 - 2022 A Year in Review Final

responder mental health, this partnership was formed. Over the past year, we have

worked together to respond to mental health related calls with compassion, support,

and resources. When a Cranston CIT officer responded to a mental health or quality of

life crisis, they would forward the information to the Gateway clinicians. The Gateway

clinicians would then follow up as needed to ensure that the person has access to

treatment and resources in the community. The Gateway clinicians were available on-

call to join the CIT officers if a person in crisis would benefit from immediate clinical

support on scene. The goal was to recognize when a person is in crisis and explore

ways to best address the root causes before it escalates.

The development of the “Crisis Intervention Team” within the city of Cranston is a

beneficial program that coordinates services between the community and specialized

facilities that can offer optimum care. With a focus on alleviating repetitive calls for

service as well as servicing the needs of the community, the program is providing the

community with essential services during their crisis. Cranston Police currently has 8

trained Crisis Intervention Officers with 8 more to be fully trained by the end of April

2022. In addition to these specialized trained officers, all Cranston Officers receive de-

escalation and mental health training as part of our in-service training

program. These trained CIT officers respond to initial calls for service involving

various levels of crisis and social service-related demands while on their routine patrol

utilizing their training.

During the past year, mental health calls for service have become extremely frequent,

especially in our lower income communities. With a rise in individuals isolating

themselves due to the pandemic, many people unemployed, drug overdoses and drug

related deaths at an all-time high, mental health concerns have soared. The rise in the

homeless population within the city limits, especially with those housed at Harrington

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Cranston Police Department Year in Review 2022