Crisis Intervention & De-escalation Flashcards
7 cards from real IACP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Crisis Intervention & De-escalation flashcards as text
The Memphis CIT model was established in 1988 primarily in response to which of the following events?
Answer: The fatal police shooting of a man with mental illness, prompting collaboration with NAMI
The Memphis CIT model was created after Memphis police fatally shot Joseph DeWayne Hamilton, a man with mental illness, which prompted a partnership between police, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and mental health advocates.
What distinguishes 'emotional labeling' as a technique in crisis intervention communication?
Answer: Verbally identifying and acknowledging the subject's apparent emotional state
Emotional labeling involves explicitly naming what the subject appears to be feeling (e.g., 'It sounds like you're really frustrated'), which validates their experience and helps reduce emotional tension.
In crisis intervention, the tactical strategy of 'containment' primarily serves to:
Answer: Limit the crisis to a defined area, protecting the public while allowing negotiation
Containment isolates the crisis to a specific geographic area, which protects uninvolved civilians while creating a controlled environment for negotiators to work effectively.
Which de-escalation principle requires officers to manage their own stress responses to avoid unintentionally escalating encounters?
Answer: Self-regulation
Self-regulation requires officers to consciously control their own emotional reactions, preventing reciprocal escalation that can occur when officers respond emotionally to a subject's provocative behavior.
Mobile Crisis Teams (MCTs) that co-respond with law enforcement to mental health calls typically consist of:
Answer: A mental health professional paired with a law enforcement officer
Co-responder MCT models pair mental health clinicians with law enforcement officers to provide immediate clinical assessment and intervention alongside public safety response during mental health calls.
According to crisis intervention best practices, a 'safe messaging' approach when responding to a suicidal individual involves:
Answer: Avoiding detailed discussion of methods while focusing on connection and linking to help
Safe messaging guidelines recommend avoiding specific discussion of suicide methods to prevent contagion effects, instead focusing on building connection with the individual and bridging them to appropriate help.
What minimum safe approach distance for potentially armed subjects is established by the Tueller Drill (21-foot rule)?
Answer: At least 21 feet, as a subject can close this distance before an officer can draw and respond
The Tueller Drill established that a subject can close 21 feet and attack in approximately 1.5 seconds — before most officers can draw and fire — making this the standard minimum reactionary gap for potentially armed subjects.