Crisis Intervention Response Team (CIRT)

Co-Responder Program
The Harris County Sheriff's Office's highest level response to individuals in mental or behavioral health crisis.

About

Crisis Intervention Response Team

The Crisis Intervention Response Team (CIRT) was implemented in 2011. This is a co-responder program pairing a crisis intervention trained deputy with a masters-level crisis clinician from The Harris Center for Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disability (The Harris Center).  These teams respond to the most serious calls involving individuals in a mental or behavioral health crisis. They also perform proactive and follow-up investigations and respond to SWAT calls as a resource. The Harris County Sheriff's Office currently has nine teams. CIRT responds to calls from other law enforcement agencies in Harris County and to calls in the City of Houston.

HOW CIRT PERFORMED IN 2022

4418

Calls for Service

775

Emergency Detentions

137

Jail Diversions

In the Field

CIRT Deputy Fred Lerma and crisis clinician partner Mike Hawkins talk to a person in need of behavioral health help. Deputy Lerma and Clinician Hawkins were among the first CIRT members. Deputy Lerma was also one of the three deputies who volunteered for phase one of Harris County's Clinician and Officer Remote Evaluation (CORE) telehealth program.