Police Department

Officers use CIT training to de-escalate suicidal man

Monique Cotton, Public Information & Communication Director, 509.363.8285

Wednesday, February 26, 2014 at 9 a.m.

Spokane police use Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) to safely de-escalate a suicidal man with a firearm.

Last night, 02-25-2014, just after 6 p.m., Spokane Police received a call from a man who stated he was suicidal, had a gun, was going to shoot himself, and had already fired a test shot to ensure the gun was working.

SPD Patrol officers responded to his residence in the 3900 block of E. 4th Ave. within minutes of the initial call and established a plan to de-escalate the potentially dangerous situation. Officers located the man, who was extremely intoxicated. They used a vehicle as a shield from potential fire in order to get in close proximity of the man and speak with him.

The majority of the officers responding to the scene are certified in Crisis Intervention Training and they safely, verbally de-escalated the suicidal man. He was not arrested and was connected with mental health services.

Officers responding to this incident utilized their CIT skills to protect the safety of the community, the safety of the suicidal man and the safety of other responding officers, while ultimately bringing quick resolution to a very dangerous situation.

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