Greater Boston Law Enforcement CISM Team
The Greater Boston Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team has been established as a collaboration among multiple Police Departments and Emergency Communications Departments in the Greater Boston area for the purpose of supporting the officers, dispatchers and all other department members within these agencies. The mission of the Team is to provide a resource of specially trained peers, mental health clinicians, chaplains, community resource dogs and other team resources, who make themselves available to respond to critical incidents and offer confidential assistance and support to help ensure that all members of the collaborative agencies remain productive, optimal functioning and generally healthy.
Our team was formed in 2016 with thirty-six (36) certified team members from eight (8) departments. At the time, and this still holds true today, the emphasis is keeping our department members safe and returning them quickly to more “normal levels” of functioning after experiencing physical or emotional reactions to a traumatic event. The Greater Boston CISM Team was founded as a mutually agreed upon intervention team, established by the Chief Executives of the Arlington, Belmont, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Somerville, and Watertown Police Departments. The goal of the Team is not a legal inquiry, investigation, or about placing blame in any way. It is about personal emotional responses, not the facts of the incident. During activations of the Team, no notes are taken and recording devices are not allowed.
Since our inception, the Team has now grown to one-hundred (100) members, representing twenty (20) departments in fourteen (14) jurisdictions in three (3) counties (Middlesex, Suffolk and Norfolk). Our primary training and education for our team is from the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF). The Greater Boston CISM Team is a recognized and registered team with the ICISF. Our members are also required to individually have an active membership with the ICISF. Just as important, we provide these services with the utmost confidentiality based on applicable Act Relative to Critical Incident Intervention by Emergency Service Providers in Chapter 233 section 20N.
Participating Agencies & Members
- ARLINGTON PD**
- BELMONT PD**
- BENTLY PD
- BRANDEIS PD
- BROOKLINE PD**
- CAMBRIDGE PD**
- CAMBRIDGE 911
- CHELSEA PD**
- EVERETT PD**
- MALDEN PD
- MEDFORD PD
- MIT PD
- NEWTON PD
- NORTHEASTERN PD
- REVERE PD
- SOMERVILLE PD**
- TUFTS PD
- WATERTOWN PD**
- WALTHAM PD
- WINTHROP PD
- SUPPORT STAFF
** = Original participating agencies (founded in 2016)