Can Crisis Intervention Training Be Helping Drive the Drop in Overdose Deaths?
Drug overdose deaths have been falling across the United States since the fall of 2023, but public health experts still do not agree on exactly why. The decline has not been uniform from state to state. Notably, West Virginia, long considered the epicenter of the opioid crisis, has recorded some of the largest reductions in overdose fatalities, according to recent analysis.
One factor that has received relatively little attention is the growing use of crisis intervention training, or CIT, within law enforcement agencies. Early research comparing jurisdictions with CIT programs to those without them suggests that these initiatives are associated with fewer overdose deaths.
Crisis intervention training was first developed in the late 1980s to help police officers recognize mental health conditions and respond in ways that connect people to care instead of defaulting to arrest. As the overdose crisis has intensified, many departments have adapted and expanded CIT programs to address substance use disorders as well.
“As more officers understand that substance use disorders are a public health emergency, interest in crisis intervention training has grown,” said Yolandah Mwikisa, crisis response unit supervisor for the Wheeling, West Virginia, Police Department. “Officers want to do their jobs better. They want to avoid unnecessary harm and legal issues. And they genuinely want to understand what people are going through.”
CIT teaches officers how to identify when someone is experiencing a substance-related crisis, how to communicate calmly and respectfully, and how to encourage treatment rather than punishment. Mwikisa explained that connecting people to care, even if recovery is not permanent, can reduce both criminal behavior and the risk of fatal overdose. In contrast, incarceration often increases overdose risk after release and can worsen substance use outcomes.
Richard Frank, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who helped coordinate the Obama administration’s opioid response, emphasized that diversion to treatment requires more than good intentions. It demands practical follow-through. One key strategy is the “warm handoff,” in which officers physically bring someone to a treatment provider rather than simply offering a phone number or referral.
Mwikisa strongly agrees. She says minimizing barriers during moments of crisis is critical.
“People are not going to want to repeat their story over and over,” she said. Instead of asking someone in crisis to show up alone at a treatment facility and relive painful experiences, she often calls ahead to coordinate care and smooth the transition.
Over years of coordinating CIT programs, Mwikisa has witnessed a clear shift in police culture. She recalls an encounter with law enforcement years ago, before she began working in crisis intervention.
“I was pulled over for speeding, and the treatment I received was harsh, more than you would expect,” she said.
Training, she noted, fundamentally changes how officers respond to people in distress. Still, skepticism remains. Some believe that anyone who breaks the law should automatically be jailed, regardless of circumstances.
“Holding people accountable and helping them get treatment are not opposing ideas,” Mwikisa said. “The real failure is when we do neither.”
As overdose deaths continue to decline in some regions, crisis intervention training may be emerging as a quiet but meaningful contributor, one that reframes substance use as a health issue and replaces punishment with pathways to care.
Source: The Guardian