Category: Law Enforcement · Statute: F.S. 943.17155 · Source: Florida Legislature
Understanding Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) in Florida
In Florida, a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is a specialized law enforcement partnership designed to improve safety and outcomes during encounters between police officers and individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. Under Florida Statute Section 943.17155, the state establishes guidelines for this collaborative program, which equips officers with at least 40 hours of intensive training. This curriculum focuses on recognizing the signs of psychiatric distress, utilizing verbal de-escalation techniques, and understanding local mental health resources. Instead of treating a psychiatric emergency as a purely criminal matter, CIT officers are trained to stabilize the situation safely and divert individuals away from the criminal justice system when appropriate.
The CIT model arises most frequently when dispatchers or responding officers identify that a call for service involves a person suffering from severe mental illness, substance abuse, or a developmental disability. Rather than relying on physical force or immediate arrest for minor infractions, CIT-trained officers utilize specialized communication strategies to defuse tension. By connecting individuals directly to community-based treatment facilities, crisis stabilization units, or receiving facilities designated under Florida's Baker Act, CIT officers help reduce injuries to both law enforcement and the public, while preventing the unnecessary incarceration of vulnerable individuals.
How CIT Involvement Affects Bail and Pretrial Release
When a CIT officer successfully diverts an individual to a healthcare facility instead of jail, the formal arrest process is avoided, bypassing the need for bail entirely. However, if an arrest must occur due to the severity of the alleged offense, the CIT documentation in the arrest affidavit alerts the court to the defendant's mental health needs. During the first appearance hearing, a Florida judge may utilize this context to order supervised pretrial release conditioned on mental health evaluation and treatment, rather than setting a high monetary bail that the defendant cannot afford.