Notably , a large number of those contacts result in arrest and , perhaps most importantly , mental health consumers account for as many as 25 % of fatal police shootings . BPD hypothesized this was the result of ineffective access to other-than-arrest alternatives . The BPD / BHL co-responder program represents one element of the Department ’ s Crisis Intervention Team ( CIT ), designed to create such alternative outcomes .
CIT is a community-based approach to improve the outcome of police-consumer encounters . In communities nationwide , CIT programs create connections between law enforcement , mental health providers , hospital emergency services , and individuals with mental illness and their families . Through collaborative partnerships and intensive training , CIT improves communication , identifies mental health resources for those in crisis and ensures officer and community safety . CIT programs enjoy broad support as they can also help keep people with mental illness out of jail and in treatment , on the road to recovery . That is because diversion programs like CIT reduce arrests of people with mental illness while simultaneously increasing the likelihood that individuals will receive mental health services .
Prior to the partnership with BHL , Brookhaven police relied on Georgia ’ s regional response framework which -while beneficial- is often taxed due to large coverage areas . Through their direct partnership , BPD now has a BHL clinician in-house
40-hours each week to respond to calls for service and conduct community follow-ups stemming from officer referrals and allows BHL to concentrate resources where the demand for intervention is high . BHL staff do not respond to calls alone . Instead , BPD officers respond to calls for service as they always have but can summon a clinician to the scene while enroute or once they arrive . Clinicians can provide on-site counseling , sign emergency committal orders , and connect consumers with community-based resources to address crisis , addiction , and other mental health emergencies . Ultimately this serves to reduce unnecessary trips to hospital emergency rooms and unnecessary arrests related to illness-caused behaviors , instead providing meaningful , outcome-focused interventions . Since October , the Mental Health Co-Responders have responded to 40 calls for service alongside BPD officers , appreciably influencing community mental health services .
In addition to their community services , the BPD / BHL partnership serves as one element of the Department ’ s comprehensive wellness program , which also includes a Peer Support Team and trained peer counselors . BHL clinicians are trained in critical incident response and may assist with serious incident debriefs and provide education to BPD officers on stress management and post-traumatic stress response . Together these components can provide emotional support through critical incidents and in response to ongoing exposure to stressors .
In short , the Mental Health Co-Responder framework represents a collaborative partnership designed to commit appropriate resources to specific types of emergencies . This reduces the strain on police personnel while improving police-community relationships and leveraging community resources to serve mental health consumers .
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