The Albuquerque Police Department will increase its crisis intervention training this year to try to certify all field officers in the force, adding 10 classes this year.
The change comes after the Department of Justice recommended reforms to CIT, which is used to de-escalate tense situations with the mentally ill and others, as part of its expansive report that found officers used force unconstitutionally.
The department has a separate CIT unit that is called to some situations, but this training will not affect that unit, the Albuquerque Journal reports. About 30 percent of current field officers have been trained in crisis intervention.
The DOJ has not yet specified the number of officers it wants trained in CIT, and the report emphasizes that both the CIT unit and individual officers with the training must be given more power, respect and “greater latitude” at volatile scenes.
