The big picture: Collaborating with mental health providers can provide law enforcement with more resources and more support during crisis.Â
Police regularly respond to crisis situations—regardless of agency bandwidth—to serve their communities’ needs. But do they have to carry that weight alone? Working with mental health providers can offer law enforcement valuable resources and support when responding to crisis calls.
Police-mental health co-responder teams pair crisis intervention-trained officers with mental health providers to respond to crisis situations in a community. This approach leverages the skills of both professionals, including police officers’ expertise in managing potentially volatile situations and mental health professionals’ expertise in mental health assessment and intervention.
While some are skeptical of these programs—for safety reasons or others—they could greatly benefit call outcomes. Additionally, they could reduce officers’ time spent on mental health calls and minimize arrests, among other things.
Like many topics we cover in InFocus, the practical application of research and programs is determined by community type and the agencies that serve them. However, it’s fair to assume that every agency responds to calls for service regarding people in crisis—so stay with us, and we hope you find it helpful.
What science says: Co-responder teams are a promising model for crisis response.
Research* suggests that co-responder programs can enhance crisis de-escalation, increase connections to services, produce cost savings, and, importantly, alleviate pressure on the criminal justice and healthcare systems.
- Enhanced crisis de-escalation: Co-responder programs may reduce police use of force; though, this is not a consistent finding.
- Reduced pressure on the criminal justice system: Co-responder programs can minimize the time officers spend on mental health-related calls for service and reduce emergency department wait times. In addition, some researchers have noted consistently low arrest rates among co-responder teams.
- Reduced pressure on the healthcare system: Co-responder teams also aim to alleviate pressure on the healthcare system by reducing unnecessary emergency department visits and inpatient hospitalizations. In several studies, researchers found fewer ED transports for calls managed by co-responder teams than by police-only teams, though this is not a universal finding.
- Increased connection to services: Research suggests referral to community services is a common outcome for people who receive a response from a police-mental health co-responder team.
- Cost-savings: Generally, studies suggest financial benefits for co-responder programs, with reduced average cost per mental health crisis response and overall annual costs for co-responder team programs compared to traditional police responses.
A few ways agencies can consider implementing this model include:
- Ride-along support. This is when officers and mental health professionals ride and respond to an incident together.
- Ride-separate support. This is when officers and mental health professionals arrive at an incident separately.
- Remote support. This occurs when a mental health professional supports a police officer during an incident via telephone or video.
These programs can vary due to differences in each community’s needs and resources.
Early adopters: Framingham Police Department in Massachusetts creates a culture of co-response.
Over 20 years ago, the Framingham Police Department (FPD) recognized the need for a better response to people in crisis. That was when Officer Baker, now Chief Baker, teamed up with Dr. Sarah Abbott from William James College for the first time. Together, they have seen FPD’s response evolve into part of the agency’s culture. Listen in on lessons learned and how they do it: Watch the video.
The bottom line: Co-responder teams are a community approach to a community problem.Â
Research on co-responder models is growing, but one thing is certain: agencies nationwide are understaffed and overworked. Co-responder programs have huge potential to help with bandwidth while simultaneously creating more positive outcomes—for community members and police officers. This model may not be for every community, but if it could work for yours, here are some resources to consider:
- Dive into the research: Explore this literature review on the implementation and impact of police-mental health co-responder teams authored by NPI’s Hannah McManus.
- Explore more resources: The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)’s Police-Mental Health Collaboration (PMHC) Toolkit provides resources for agencies considering adopting co-responder programs.
- Learn from peers: The Law Enforcement-Mental Health Learning Site Program website invites agencies to learn from one another on how to successfully implement strategies and response models in their communities.
- Connect with other co-responder professionals: The International Co-Responder Alliance (ICRA) is a nonprofit that develops and shares best practices and hosts the National Co-Responder Conference.
- Apply for funding: The National Association of Counties (NACo) funding chart identifies possible funding opportunities to strengthen local behavioral health crisis response continuums, including supporting co-responder teams.
- Check out this case study: Read about the implementation of a 911 diversion program in Broome County, New York, including a risk assessment and decision guide written by NPI’s Michael Hatch.
*Review research citations used in this issue here.
Never miss an issue of InFocus
Share