Can a 40-Hour class make police better at de-escalating mental health crises?

This study looked at whether a 40-hour Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training program helps police officers improve their verbal de-escalation skills and body language during mental health crisis calls. About 242 officers were randomly assigned to either receive the training or not, and their skills were measured at 3 and 6 months using video ratings. The goal was to see if the training leads to better communication and safer outcomes for everyone involved.