Since 2003, the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) has provided state-certified Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training to law enforcement officers throughout Illinois. Participants who volunteer for this specialized, one week / 40 hour program receive intensive training on assisting with individuals in the community who have a mental illness or other behavioral disability. To date, the ILETSB has certified over 8,125 officers statewide, from more than 560 agencies in this specialized program.
Not only is ILETSB seeing a steady request for state-certified Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training, but we are seeing an increase in requests for classes in the CIT series (such as CIT Refresher, CIT Juvenile, CIT Corrections and CIT Dispatch) as well as for mental health awareness training. The CIT and mental health training programs are constantly evolving to tailor for the different needs of officers statewide. If you have any questions regarding these trainings, please contact ILETSB or your local MTU.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Therapy dogs as potential boost to officer mental health
Posted on 6/3/2024 11:00:06 AM
We are thrilled to introduce Trooper, a two-year-old border collie who recently joined us as our first CIT therapy dog! Trooper was first found abandoned and tied to a pole in Cicero, but is now traveling across the state to work with officers, including recruits at the police academy, those in crisis intervention team training programs, or undergoing test-taking. He will soon be available and dispatched to departments dealing with tragic incidents.
Trooper is the first CIT therapy dog provided by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office - Tails of Redemption program (TOR) and supported through Operation TT. The goal of this new initiative is to expand therapy dog availability across the state and provide regional CIT therapy dogs to assist with officer wellness as well as other first responder needs within the communities. Read more about how Trooper is helping officers throughout Illinois in this Chicago Tribune story: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/05/19/law-enforcement-leaders-eye-therapy-dogs-as-potential-boost-to-officer-mental-health/
2023 CIT 20 Year Anniversary State Conference
Posted on 9/14/2023 6:31:37 AM
Our CIT 20 year Anniversary State Conference was a Huge success!
We had a jam-packed event with over 200 in attendance including CIT officers, law enforcement administrators, dispatch, social workers, co-responder teams and everything in between where we focused on mental wellness, peer support and active listening; including keynote speakers Ernie Stevens, Mark Debona and Kevin Briggs plus highlight speaker Tom Farley! Not only that, but we also had breakout sessions, round table discussions, peer support dogs and music entertainment/saxophonist from one of Chicago’s own CIT Officers! Finally we celebrated our 2023 CIT Officer of the year; Heather Lencioni; CIT Agency of the Year; University of Illinois and the inaugural Aaron Landers Award to Tony Rigano! Next up is the CIT Mental Health Training and Peer Support Resource Institute where we will be a repository of best practices, training and development, research, model policies and local resources for officers, agencies, families and practitioners!
Special thanks to our partners at the Executive Institute for their tireless efforts in making the event such a success; truly couldn’t have done it without them!
Here is a link to highlights of the State CIT Conference as well as some additional information on the CIT program and the courses that fall within the CIT series.
Crisis Intervention Training 2023
Posted on 3/21/2023 2:12:56 PM
85 days.
Eighty-five days until we roll out three amazing keynote speakers, with special guest Tom Farley taking the stage. From breakout sessions to networking and roundtable discussions – you DO NOT want to miss this conference!
CIT 2023 - Registration now available!
Posted on 3/7/2023 6:17:09 AM
The 2023 Illinois Crisis Intervention Team Conference registration is NOW OPEN! The conference will take place June 14 & 15 at the Embassy Suites in East Peoria.
You don’t want to miss this phenomenal conference!
The 2023 CIT Conference is full of breakout sessions, round-table sessions, superior keynote presentations, networking and much more!
View the CIT Flyer for more information.
2023 CIT State Conference
Posted on 9/21/2022 10:24:27 AM
The ILETSB and ILETSB-Executive Institute are proud to announce our 2023 CIT State Conference will be held on June 14 & 15 at the Embassy Suites in East Peoria!
Please keep an eye on our webpage for additional information as it becomes available.
If you are interested in being a presenter at the upcoming conference, please visit the ILETSB-EI website for the Call for Presentations.
https://iletsbei.org/crisis-intervention-team-conference-2023/
Coming Soon - Statewide Training Opportunities
Posted on 8/26/2021 7:01:06 AM
Fiscal Year 22 CIT and Mental Health Related Training Opportunities will be posted on the CIT webpage under Upcoming Events mid to late September.
2021 CIT Conference Is A Wrap
Posted on 7/8/2021 2:38:45 PM
The Illinois 2021 CIT State Conference is a wrap! I’m so proud and humbled to have been a part of the team gathering these amazing speakers! This year we shared enhanced de-escalation skills and the importance of listening and validation. We discussed and shared resources for officer wellness and peer support. We dove into co-responder models and building CIT within your community. From key-note speakers to panels, break-outs, role play and round tabling, we hoped to have something for everyone; where participant interaction was encouraged and flourished! We hope that all participants returned to their agencies with more insight and understanding to strengthen CIT within their communities!
- Jennifer Wooldridge, state CIT coordinator
FY22 CIT Course Invoice
Posted on 7/8/2021 9:47:34 AM
The CIT Course Invoice is now available for FY22. The invoice can be found by going to Resources --> Forms & Information --> General Forms or by clicking this link.
CIT 2021 - Registration now available!
Posted on 4/30/2021 11:05:11 AM
Please view the CIT Flyer for more information.
SAVE THE DATE - Registration coming soon!
Posted on 4/22/2021 8:28:53 PM
FY21 CIT Course Invoice
Posted on 3/3/2021 9:55:37 AM
The CIT Course Invoice is now available for FY21. The invoice can be found by going to Resources --> Forms & Information --> General Forms or by clicking this link.
2021 CIT Conference
Posted on 10/15/2020 10:35:12 AM
Be on the lookout for details on the ILETSB upcoming 2021 CIT Conference.
Information will be available here soon.