The relationship between law enforcement and those with mental illness is severely strained and possibly even broken. But who caused this rift in the relationship? Is law enforcement to blame? Are those with a mental illness to blame? Or, does the issue stem from a bigger problem of deinstitutionalization and negative stigmas that society has against both mentioned populations? The purpose of this study was to dive deeper into the relationship between law enforcement officers and those with mental illness to seek the root cause of the disconnect, as well as what can be done to bridge the gap. Previous research has focused on the law enforcement perspective, focusing on what training (if any) they have for dealing with citizens with mental illnesses as well as how those in law enforcement perceive people with mental illnesses while on the job. These perceptions are yet another possible explanation of the disconnect and could potentially be part of the solution to help mend the break between law enforcement and those suffering from a mental illness. The present study sought to examine the effects that CIT training has on the response outcomes when law enforcement officers respond to those with mental illness. These response outcomes, when ranked by severity, can help to explain the importance of CIT training and its effectiveness, especially when compared to the previous studies data pool of officer perspectives. The results of this study are compelling and create an effortless opening for conversation on a topic that is difficult for many to talk about.

执法部门与精神疾病患者之间的关系严重紧张，甚至可能破裂。但是谁造成了这段关系的裂痕呢？执法部门有责任吗？那些患有精神疾病的人应该受到责备吗？或者，这个问题是否源于更大的非机构化问题和社会对上述人群的负面耻辱？这项研究的目的是更深入地研究执法人员与精神疾病患者之间的关系，寻找造成这种脱节的根本原因，以及可以采取哪些措施来弥合这种差距。之前的研究主要集中在执法部门的角度，重点关注他们接受过哪些培训（如果有的话）来处理患有精神疾病的公民，以及执法人员在工作中如何看待患有精神疾病的人。这些看法是造成这种脱节的另一种可能的解释，并且可能成为帮助弥合执法部门与精神疾病患者之间分歧的解决方案的一部分。本研究旨在探讨当执法人员对精神疾病患者做出反应时，CIT 培训对反应结果的影响。这些响应结果按严重程度排序，可以帮助解释 CIT 培训的重要性及其有效性，特别是与之前的官员观点研究数据池进行比较时。这项研究的结果令人信服，并为许多人难以谈论的话题提供了轻松的对话机会。