The Columbus Police Academy’s Crisis Intervention Training [CIT] program aims to educate officers on handling mental health service calls and using de-escalation tactics.
The academy offers the program in collaboration with the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County [ADAMH] as an elective that can be done in addition to the 40-hour CIT that all Columbus police officers are required to complete before they’re sworn in, according to Columbus police Lt. Michael Voorhis.
Officers must be able to discern what falls into the mental health category versus the criminal one, Voorhis said, and recognize times where there’s a blend of both.
Voorhis said that since the Division of Police began its partnership with ADAMH in 2013, Columbus has seen a decrease in arrests during mental health calls for service. Last year, Columbus police alone took more than 23,000 service calls relating to mental health, proving the importance of CIT for all officers.
“Someone has the worst day of their life, they’re calling first responders,” Voorhis said. “They’re calling police. They’re calling fire.”
What do officers learn at Crisis Intervention Training?
Among the sessions offered during the CIT were those focusing on the experiences of individuals in crisis, the process for emergency hospitalization and an explanation of the collaborative work between the Columbus Division of Police and its crisis line response partners through Franklin County.
This year, about 80 officers participated in the program. CIT is available to officers in surrounding jurisdictions as well, although enrollment is usually capped at 100 individuals each year.
Since the program began, the curriculum has remained focused on its main pillars, which include things like conversations about substance abuse and how situations may escalate.
The program is adjusted each year after collecting feedback from officers involved, said Karly Tennant, director of clinical services at ADAMH. She said their goal is always to make sure the things they teach are relevant to the work the officers are doing.
“CIT in general has set up core elements that every program needs to hit,” Tennant said. “From there, it gets tailored based on the community that you’re teaching the class in.”
Mental health resources in Franklin County
Although officers are trained how to handle individuals in crisis, Franklin County offers a variety of resources specifically designed for crisis intervention without police involvement. The goal is to integrate these resources so they can work seamlessly.
Currently, the city has a Mobile Crisis Response unit, staffed by about 10 mental health clinicians paired with police officers who work from 10 a.m. to midnight 365 days a year. In 2025, the MCR unit responded to 2,733 mental health issue-related calls – which is only about 10-20% of all the scenarios they could help with. Their capabilities are limited by their staff size.
In May, Columbus voters opted overwhelmingly to support Issue 5, which will create a new and more robust alternative crisis response model separate from the police. It’s also expected to be operated by clinicians and will begin services in 2028.
Tennant said CIT is important when those resources leave gaps, or when they find themselves in an unexpected situation.
“Over the last several years, stigma for mental health is being decreased, and with that, we’re seeing an increase in calls and basically an increase in demand for the need for training programs like this,” Tennant said. “Everybody gets what they need and goes home safe at the end of the day.”
Individuals experiencing a mental health crisis can call the confidential Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. Additional resources are also available through ADAMH.
Dispatch reporter Lilli Malone can be reached at lmalone@dispatch.com or on Instagram at @lillimwrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How the Columbus Police Academy helps officers recognize mental health crises
Reporting by Lilli Malone, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Lilli Malone, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
