Crisis intervention team training and special weapons and tactics callouts in an urban police department.

OBJECTIVE: This study tested a hypothesized inverse correlation between the number of crisis intervention team (CIT) officers and the number of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) callouts in an urban police department.
METHODS: Data for the number of accrued CIT-trained officers were combined with administrative data on the number of SWAT callouts during 27 four-month intervals.
RESULTS: There were no significant correlations for the relationships examined, and implementation of CIT training was not associated with a decrease in SWAT callouts.
CONCLUSIONS: Although the CIT model may yield important benefits in other domains, this study found no evidence of declining SWAT utilization as the number of CIT-trained officers accrued. The absence of association is likely due to the relatively low prevalence of SWAT use and the very different nature of CIT versus SWAT responses.