The Irving Police Department's Crisis Response Unit (CRU) is a multidisciplinary team tasked with responding to individuals experiencing a crisis and working to prevent repeated crises, whether it is related to life stressors, mental illness, substance use disorders, or other behavioral health issues.
The unit comprises one sergeant supervising four officers and three civilian mental health clinicians. Every officer is a certified mental health peace officer and has received specialized training specific to aid individuals suffering from a mental health crisis. The department's civilian clinicians have extensive experience and certifications in the mental health field.
The team answers calls for service, assists patrol and other units with in-progress calls, and conducts follow-up outreach to individuals who have intersected with emergency services personnel in Irving or local hospitals. The Irving Police CRU is one part of a larger group of cooperating entities that seek to provide services to individuals in the community, including the North Texas Behavioral Health Authority, several outpatient clinics, and social service providers in the area.