Since 2001, the Ventura County Law Enforcement Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) has been a collaborative effort between six local law enforcement agencies (the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, Ventura Police Department, Oxnard Police Department, Simi Valley Police Department, Port Hueneme Police Department, and Santa Paula Police Department), as well as Ventura County Behavioral Health, social service entities throughout Ventura County, the medical community, and the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
Through extensive training in the of use of strategies and techniques intended to decrease the intensity of a situation, the CIT Program in Ventura County assists first responders to be able to safely respond to crisis calls for service, reduce use of force incidents, and compassionately connect people with services while avoiding incarceration.
