Police officers' volunteering for (rather than being assigned to) Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training: Evidence for a beneficial self‐selection effect

• Published in: Behavioral sciences & the law 2017-09, Vol.35 (5-6), p.470-479
• Main Authors: T. Compton, Michael, Bakeman, Roger, Broussard, Beth, D'Orio, Barbara, C. Watson, Amy
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Assignment; Attitudes; Bias; Crisis intervention; Empathy; Handcuffs; Mental health; Physical force; Police; Selection bias; Selfselection; Skills; Teams; Training
• ISSN: 0735-3936; 1099-0798
• DOI: 10.1002/bsl.2301

Officers' volunteering for Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training—rather than being assigned—is assumed to be an important, beneficial self‐selection bias. This bias remains poorly characterized, though CIT officers are more likely to be female and to have had exposure to the mental health field. We determined whether or not self‐selection is beneficial with regard to knowledge, attitudes, and skills, as well as level of force used (i.e., no or low force versus any form of physical force) and disposition of subjects, in actual encounters. We compared CIT‐trained officers who had volunteered with those who had been assigned using data from two prior, linked studies that compared CIT‐trained and non‐CIT officers on knowledge, attitudes, and skills (251 CIT‐trained officers; 68% had volunteered), as well as behaviors (517 actual encounters provided by 91 CIT‐trained officers; 70% had volunteered). Of 28 scores on knowledge, attitudes, and skills compared, six were statistically significantly different (p