Mental Health America of Eastern Missouri (MHA-EM) has a long and varied history of working with law enforcement. The consistent goal throughout this work has always been to provide information, education, and skills to help officers feel more comfortable and capable when responding to a mental health crisis. 

Our current work in this endeavor is carried out through our participation in the St. Louis Area Crisis Intervention Team (CIT). The goal of CIT is to deliver positive law enforcement crisis intervention to those experiencing a mental health crisis. This goal is accomplished by:

  • creating and facilitating community partnerships between law enforcement, individuals, mental health providers, families, and advocates
  • providing leadership to facilitate and deliver training specialized training to officers
  • coordinating and enhancing police response to mental health crises in the community through police department’s Crisis Intervention Team

MHA is proud to partner in this work to ensure high-quality training and education for officers by serving on the Curriculum Training Committee, and routinely presenting Community Resource information for officers who attend the 40-hour training program. We also serve on the Council, the governing body for the St. Louis area’s CIT program.