Crisis intervention team training for law enforcement: Analyzing the factors that influence verbal de-escalation skills knowledge attainment in the Memphis Model

Crisis intervention team (CIT) training has been proven to be effective at increasing officers knowledge of mental health, improving attitudes toward those with a mental illness, and reducing use of force rates and arrest leading to incarceration of mental health consumers. Prior research has been primarily limited to outcome evaluations of CIT programs. The current study had 105 participants and examined officer-level variables identified in the literature that may affect verbal de-escalation skills knowledge attainment in the Memphis Model of CIT training. This was accomplished through the use of a hierarchal regression analysis. Results of the study found that officers who identified as male and officers who identified as White, scored higher on the De-escalation Skills Scale than their respective counterparts. The findings suggest that these populations may be more effective at utilizing verbal de-escalation skills knowledge during scenarios presented in the Memphis Model of CIT training