Crisis Response Team
- Details
- Published: Friday, 16 April 2021 10:00
The Crisis Response Team (CRT) was formed to respond to hostage, barricade situations, or suicidal incidents, which might require the use of negotiators. The ultimate goal of the CRT is to peacefully resolve all calls that they respond to, minimizing injury to officers, victims and suspects involved. As a specialty team under the organizational authority of the FWPD Special Operations Deputy Chief, CRT provides crisis negotiations support in close coordination with the Department’s Emergency Services Team (EST) under the authority of the designated Incident Scene Commander during critical incidents involving barricaded suspect(s) or hostage-takers.
The Fort Wayne Police Department Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Program (modeled after the original program in Memphis, Tennessee) was implemented on August 1, 2001 in order to provide an immediate response by trained law enforcement officers to deal with persons in the Fort Wayne community who are experiencing a mental health crisis. One goal established for the program was to divert persons with a mental illness from incarceration, and to treat the mental illness as the priority. As of January 1, 2019, the CIT program was expanded to require all officers to be trained in crisis intervention techniques. New officers are trained in their basic recruit classes and current officers have annual mandated training. 
