‘Innovative’ co-respondent program recruits mental health experts
LINCOLN — Mental health professionals will begin accompanying Lincoln police officers on calls involving people suffering from a mental health crisis, under a new plan announced Tuesday.
The Co-Responders Program is a partnership between: Lincoln Police Department and center point. Funding for the first three years will be provided by a Bureau of Justice Assistance Grant of $550,000 and $221,278 from the City of Lincoln General Fund.
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Officials call the program an innovative solution to the complex challenges of mental health.
Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said it was a “shining example” of agencies joining forces to provide the most appropriate and effective care to those in need. Lincoln Police Chief Michon Morrow, CenterPointe Chief Operating Officer Tami Lewis-Ahrendt and others also attended the press conference.
“By adding behavioral health professionals to law enforcement response teams, our goal is to de-escalate situations and connect individuals with the services they need,” said Lewis-Arendt, whose organization was selected in the bidding process. selected.
better results
Morrow said such co-responder programs reduce officers’ use of controls and future contact with callers and get the appropriate experts to help people in distress more quickly, leading to better outcomes.
“Our goal is to meet people’s needs and get them the support they need, whether that’s law enforcement intervention, mental health care or just making sure they have the basic necessities to live with dignity,” the chief said.
In the past, Lincoln police officers have sometimes called CenterPointe mobile units to provide assistance for situations involving mental health issues they encountered after arriving on scene, Lincoln police spokesperson Erika Thomas said.
But under the new plan, she said, three new master’s degree professionals will be hired specifically to do the job, and they will respond to scenes at the same time as officers to help from the start.
Co-responders will receive calls for service through a variety of methods, including dispatch from the Lincoln Emergency Communications Center, police requests or by monitoring emergency radio channels.
About 85% of program funds are used to pay wages.
Much of the remaining time is spent on co-responder training and program effectiveness research. The Malone Center will collect community feedback on police mental health responses, and a team led by Richard Weiner, Ph.D., Department of Psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will evaluate its impact.
‘Improving’ police practice
Since tracking began in May, Lincoln police have responded to more than 5,000 of the nearly 47,000 mental health-related calls for service during that period, or about 11 percent, said Lincoln Capt. Ben Kopsa.
He said because people often call 911 for public safety concerns and mental health crises, the co-responder program will allow police to quickly receive expert assistance when they believe mental health is a factor.
The plan should allow Lincoln police officers to return to work while clinicians remain on scene to provide assistance to individuals in crisis.
“Through this partnership, we are committed to improving law enforcement practices and providing critical mental health support to those in need,” said Malone Center CEO John Goodwin.
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