Participants of this voluntary, 40 hour training program, receive intensive training on recognizing and addressing individuals in the community who have a mental illness or other behavioral health crisis. The CIT training program is an in depth, specialized course for officers with at least two year’s experience. The five day course includes presentations by behavioral health specialists, experienced field officers and representatives from regional service providers. Officers will receive training in topics such as mental illness/signs and symptoms, co-occurring disorders, child and adolescent issues, medical conditions and psychotropic medications, and law enforcement response and legal issues. They will also learn advanced communication and de-escalation techniques, partake in valuable exercises, have a unique opportunity to participate in discussions with individuals who have a mental illness and or their family members and given an opportunity to exercise their skills in realistic scenario role plays.