Wayne County trainers brief Ypsilanti advisory commission on CIT, commissioners ask for local outcome data

Wayne County trainers described the mental‑health training now offered to Ypsilanti officers and said the curriculum prioritizes de‑escalation and trauma‑informed policing, but commissioners said they need local outcome data to evaluate program impact.

Mr. Lightfoot, introduced during the commission's discussion item, said he is the program coordinator for Mental Health First Aid and Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) programs in Wayne County and explained the training sequence: an 8‑hour Mental Health First Aid course as a prerequisite and a 40‑hour CIT curriculum that focuses on de‑escalation, trauma‑informed policing and Question‑Persuade‑Refer (QPR) suicide prevention.

"We teach the officers how to recognize the signs and symptoms of a person experiencing a mental health crisis," Mr. Lightfoot said, adding that training also covers officer self‑care and how to slow interactions and listen to people in crisis.

Commissioners asked whether the trainer collects encounter data showing changes in outcomes after training. Mr. Lightfoot said the program is evidence‑based and widespread, and that while there are reports and evaluation materials from other departments, his team does not centrally track Ypsilanti‑specific encounter outcomes after initial training; continued data collection was left to individual departments unless trainers were invited back for follow‑up.

Why it matters: Commissioners said they want proof that the training is reducing use‑of‑force incidents or improving outcomes for people in crisis. Herman Humes asked whether the trainers provide summary data back to departments; Mr. Lightfoot said anecdotal feedback is common but formalized YPD encounter tracking was not being provided to the trainers.

Follow up and materials: Commissioners requested a copy of the program outline and the training materials; Mr. Lightfoot said those are available and offered to connect commissioners with the program director for data inquiries. He also traced the CIT model to the 1987 "Memphis model," which later spread nationally, and said the Wayne County program was established locally around 2017 under his director.

The commission accepted the presentation and said it will follow up with the chief and the training provider to request local outcome reports and training outlines.