Response,Use of Force,and Dispositional Outcomes: An Exploratory Analysis of the Seattle Police Department’s Crisis Intervention Training on Confirmed Crisis Events

Abstract

Considering the increased responsibility placed on law enforcement for handling crisis encounters, many departments have implemented crisis intervention training to reduce use of force through de-escalation and increase diversion/referral to community services. Despite the wellintentioned nature of such programming, evidence to date has been both elusive and inconclusive. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the effectiveness of the Seattle Police Department’s crisis intervention program in meeting these intended goals. Utilizing a covariate matching approach, the research questions compare confirmed crisis event responses with and without a crisis-certified officer to assess potential differences in crisis event response profiles, police use of force during crisis encounters, and dispositional outcomes resulting from crisis encounters. The results highlight differences in crisis response likelihood, use of force, and dispositional outcomes between CIT-certified and noncertified officers. Implications for future research, practice, and policy are discussed.