As the civilian head of the LAPD, the Board of Police Commissioners works in partnership to proactively lead, support, and guide the Department in partnership with the community. The Police Commission's primary mission is to…
The Crisis Response Team (CRT) was formed in 1998 at the request of Los Angeles Police and Fire Departments. CRT, the only program of its kind in the United States, is a volunteer program offered through The Office of Mayor. CRT works in collaboration with many city, county and community-based organizations and is funded annually in part by a generous grant by Allstate Insurance Company. CRT's mission is to provide immediate on-scene crisis intervention as well as emotional support and referrals to victims and their families involved in traumatic incidents.
Today, the CRT employs one full-time staff member, and over 125 screened and highly trained volunteers who respond to over 700 requests a year from the L.A. Police and Fire Departments 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Each CRT volunteer receives over 48 hours of mandatory training, which involves lectures, speakers, field trips, discussions and role-plays. Since 1998, CRT has responded to 4,680 call-outs, 720 in 2004 alone. Volunteers respond within twenty minutes after a police or fire request for assistance, and many have multi-lingual capability to serve residents in their native languages. The program's success has attracted worldwide recognition from cities interested in developing similar programs.
Crisis Response Team calls include but are not limited to:
Major Traffic Accidents
Homicides
Death Notification
Multi-Casualty Incidents
Drive-by Shootings
Natural Deaths
Fires
Suicides
According to mental health experts, following a traumatic invent, crime or disaster, people may feel helpless, confused, and undergo emotional shock. Victims' and families' experiences in the critical hours immediately following a traumatic event strongly influence how these tragedies will impact the rest of their lives. Those receiving effective support are more likely to eventually resume healthy and productive lives, while those who do not are at higher risks of mental and physical health disorders.
CRT volunteers provide a range of support to victims and families, which includes but is not limited to the following:
Attend to immediate survival needs;
Activate support system;
Act as a liaison between victim and emergency personnel; and
Provide resources and referrals for long-term support.
By deploying trained CRT volunteers to the scene of crime or disasters, the CRT program has allowed uniformed police, fire and emergency room personnel to resume their primary duties sooner, while ensuring that victims and their family members will be provided with support and counsel for as many hours as they need.
The CRT program accomplishes many important goals for the City of Los Angeles including:
Relieving police and fire officials of much of the responsibility for victim/witness consolation and other "soft tasks," allowing them to focus on their primary duties;
Freeing up substantial amounts of emergency personnel time;
Bringing a calming presence to potentially volatile scenes;
Generating goodwill toward the City, LAPD, and LAFD; and
Maintaining a large, organized, trained and experienced force of locally based crisis intervention specialists who can immediately respond to major catastrophes.
Jeffrey Zimerman, M.S.W., Manager
Office of the Mayor - Crisis Response Team
200 North Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-978-0697
Fax: 213-978-0718
E-Mail: jeffrey.zimerman@lacity.org
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