25 Years of Ohio CIT Programs

Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) are community-based programs that bring together law enforcement, mental health professionals, advocates, people living with mental illness and their families, and other partners to improve community responses to people experiencing mental health crises.

The 25 Years of Ohio Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Celebration Dinner honored and recognized the impact that CIT programs have had over those 25 years. Ohio Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) programs are community partnership programs essential to the health and well-being of vulnerable individuals with mental illness and related disabilities. People experiencing mental health crises receive a safe and effective response and be connected to the treatment and support they need rather than unnecessarily be arrested and/or incarcerated. CIT has provided evidence-based and trauma informed training to law enforcement and other first responders to de-escalate crises and connect people to treatment and resources, but CIT is more than just training. It is the collaboration between first responders, mental health providers and advocates, and justice systems. These systems work together to create trust and better communication between community partners for better outcomes for crisis situations.

Over the past 25 years, Ohio CIT has grown across the entire state. Based on training rosters submitted to the CJ CCoE, we can confirm 17,905 sworn personnel trained in CIT and an additional 10,413 professionals trained across Ohio’s 88 counties and beyond. Ohio’s CIT programs have trained a total of 28,318 people (as of September 2025). Of these, 49 individuals traveled across the globe to attend one of the Ohio CIT training courses. Since 2000, Ohio CIT Programs have conducted over 21,000 training courses for patrol officers and other identified CIT partner roles. Of the over 900 law enforcement agencies in the state, 82% (778) have participated in CIT training, leaving only 17% (165) that have not yet participated in CIT training. As the CJ CCoE tracks law enforcement participation, there have been continual gains in participation each year.

Watch Continued Growth of Ohio CIT in our biannual reports!

Photo gallery

Lucas County CIT program and partners, Summit County ADM

Peg's Foundation staff, Summit County ADM Board staff, and Clear Pathways staff group photo

Peg’s Foundation, Summit County ADM Board, and Clear Pathways attendees at the 25 Years of Ohio CIT Celebration Dinner

Ruth Simera (NEOMED), Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, NEOMED President John Langell, John Stilliana (NEOMED)

Check out and download photos from the 25 Years of Ohio CIT Celebration Dinner!

See all photos

25 Years of Ohio CIT Celebration

The 25 Years of Ohio CIT Celebration Dinner was held to honor the program’s impact and growth in Ohio, along with recognizing the communities that have been strengthened as a result of this work. Check out our recap of the celebration below!

See our Event Program

Governor DeWine Speaks About the 25th Anniversary and the Impact of Ohio CIT Programs

Proclamation

View the State of Ohio Proclamation honoring 25 Years of Ohio CIT Programs. Thank you, Governor Mike DeWine and Lieutenant Governor Jim Tressel, for recognizing the importance and value of CIT!

State of Ohio Proclamation photo

Dr. Randy DuPont Special Ohio CIT Message

25 Years of Ohio CIT Celebration Video

25 Years of Ohio CIT Celebration Lived Experience Video

Planning Team

Thank you to the following partners for leaning in and helping us plan the celebration!

Planning Team

Carole Ballard
Sara Coberly
Thom Craig
Chris Karakis
Jamie Messenger
Dr. Mark Munetz
Chris Nicastro
Breanna Pantzer
Adam Peacock
Dr. Em Ribnik
Theresa Richards
Luke Russell
Ret. Justice Evelyn Stratton
Ruth Simera
Dr. Doug Smith
Leslie Stoyer
Lucky Tisch
Max Warner
Lee Ann Watson

Ohio CIT History

In 1998, the Ohio Department of Mental Health (now Ohio Department of Behavioral Health) saw CIT as a promising endeavor and invited Sam Cochran and Randy DuPont from Memphis to present at the Annual Forensic Conference. Following their presentation, Summit and Lucas Counties were early adopters in 2000, with Summit County holding the first Ohio CIT training course. In 2001, Summit County began inviting teams from other counties to observe the CIT training and learn about the program, resulting in broad interest. This led to the decision by the Ohio Department of Mental Health to fund the Summit County ADM Board to develop a Criminal Justice Coordinating Center of Excellence. Established in 2001, the Criminal Justice Coordinating Center of Excellence (CJ CCoE), housed within the Department of Psychiatry at Northeast Ohio Medical University, was created to promote CIT and other jail diversion alternatives for people with mental illness throughout Ohio. The overrepresentation of people with mental illness in the criminal justice system is a complex problem that requires complex solutions and committed partners.

Two committed partners emerged early on: NAMI Ohio was enthusiastic about spreading CIT throughout Ohio and decided to collaborate with the work of the CJ CCoE. NAMI Ohio and the CJ CCoE have co-led CIT dissemination in Ohio for over two decades. The Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services and Ohio Department of Behavioral Health have provided ongoing support to both entities in this effort. At this same time, Ret. Justice Evelyn Stratton formed the Advisory Committee on Mental Illness and the Courts (ACMIC), which upon her retirement from the Ohio Supreme Court in 2012 transitioned to become the Ohio Attorney General’s Office Task Force on Criminal Justice and Mental Illness.

Central to its mission, the CJ CCoE, in partnership with NAMI Ohio and law enforcement liaisons, serves as the consultation and technical assistance hub for Ohio CIT programs. In tandem with a steering committee of CIT Coordinators, this group hosts the Annual Ohio CIT Conference and Ohio CIT Awards, highlighting and elevating the hard work and dedication of CIT trained individuals and CIT program coordinators to improve their communities.

The Ohio CIT Core Elements, first authored in 2004 and updated in 2022, provide guidance and structure to establish, develop, enhance, and sustain CIT programs. The Ohio CIT Peer Review Process is a voluntary and collegial process built on a quality improvement approach to strengthen our collective understanding of the core elements and best practices within CIT programs. The Peer Review process is built on a continuous learning approach that allows communities interested in improving their program, a process to receive specific feedback on their implementation and adherence to the CIT core elements; allows peer reviewers to also learn ways to strengthen their CIT programs; and better positions the CCoE and NAMI Ohio to provide ongoing technical assistance and guidance based on exemplary practices and lessons learned from Ohio’s CIT programs.

Contact

Phone: 330.325.6861
Email: cjccoe@380cebbe0d.nxcli.io

Ohio Criminal Justice Coordinating Center of Excellence

A NEOMED Coordinating Center of Excellence

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