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 one year 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.