Houston Police Department

Total number of agency personnel:6,124
Sworn: 5,091
Civilian: 1,193

Total population served: 2.3 million

Jurisdiction: Houston, Texas

• Multi-faceted strategy staffed by various personnel including crisis intervention-trained (CIT) patrol officers, a CIT Training Unit, Crisis Intervention Response Teams (CIRTs), co-responder units, a Homeless Outreach Team, a Boarding Homes Enforcement Detail, a Chronic Consumer Stabilization Initiative, a Crisis Call Diversion program, a Senior Justice Assessment Center, an Investigations Unit, and a Mobile Crisis Outreach Team Rapid Response Unit (i.e., a non-law enforcement/civilian only response dispatched to incoming 911 calls that do not require first responder level response. These are dispatched via the Crisis Call Diversion counselors). 
• Mental health training for all officers that includes:  
  • 40-hour CIT training for all cadets
  • 8-hour annual Advanced CIT classes 
  • State-mandated 8-hour CIT refresher for all officers with only their Basic or Advanced Peace Officer Certifications 
  • 40-hour Mental Health Officer class for veteran officers 
  • State-mandated 40-hour CIT class for Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced certification 
  • State-mandated 8-hour De-escalation class for all cadets and officers with only Basic or Intermediate state certifications
  • 24-hour Trauma Affected Veterans class that is co-taught with the Military Veterans Peer Network 

Website: Houston Police Department’s Mental Health Division

Sergeant Rebecca Skillern, M.A., LPC-S
HPD Mental Health Division
150 N. Chenevert St.
Houston, Texas 77002
(832) 394-4242
info@houstoncit.org 

Ann MacLeod, LPC-S, NCC
Director of Crisis Services
Field Based Programs/Law Enforcement Collaborations
The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD
150 N. Chenevert St.
Houston, Texas  77002
(832) 394-4245
ann.macleod@TheHarrisCenter.org