Law enforcement agencies across the country are being challenged by a growing number of calls for service involving people who have mental health needs. Officers [are] often the only responders to calls involving people experiencing a mental health crisis. When these calls come into 911/dispatch, the appropriate community-based resources are lacking to make referrals.
BJA, CSG Justice Center, 2019
Since this report was written, law enforcement-based partnerships with behavioral health agencies have become increasingly common across the country. Many of these programs focus on the initial crisis or 911 calls. The intention of these programs nationwide is to drive down calls for services, engagement with the criminal justice system, engagements with emergency rooms and provide access to behavioral health clinical services alongside law enforcement responses. CoResponder programs and Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) teams are an invaluable resource to their communities. CoResponder and CIT teams are evidence-informed responses to acute crisis mental health events, however they do not account for the non-crisis level calls that do not require a uniformed officer in a cruiser responding. Additionally, the use of officers and clinician teams do not solve the underlying longer-term problems of lack of access to community-based resources for outpatient behavioral health services, substance misuse resources, and basic human needs.
“Programs that treat only a person’s mental illness and/or substance use disorder but do not address other factors that contribute to the likelihood of a person reoffending are unlikely to have much of an impact.” This statement shows the crux of why it is important to have community-integrated behavioral health programming in communities that specialize in this cross-pollinated format of law enforcement, behavioral health, human services and care navigation/management.
The system must have a diverse and robust response to a highly complex and deeply intrenched issue. The valid concerns of communities about law enforcement servings as the primary and often the sole responder to behavioral health concerns is one that we at Front Line Services are listening to. We have long been aware of the effects of inter-generational trauma, mental health, substance use and social determinants of health on the community and its overall health/safety. It is our mission to aid communities and partners in seeing the need for culturally appropriate behavioral health resources that can provide direct ongoing access to services and serve as a low-threshold (no wrong door) approach to seeking care prior to entering a crisis or engaging with the criminal justice system.
Community-integrated behavioral healthcare provides a robust person-centered approach at the heart of community wellness. When we understand that our mental health is crucial to our community health, we can begin to heal and recover.
