OKC officials rethinking police roles in mental health crisis calls By: Whitney Bryen Oklahoma Watch May 6, 2021
Master Sgt. Lori Osborn, an Oklahoma City police officer assigned to Assisted Outpatient Treatment, gets in her car outside of police headquarters in May 2020. Osborn provides transportation and support to clients in the AOT program, which helps people who have been discharged from the hospital following mental health treatment access outpatient programs, medication and welfare benefits. (File photo by Whitney Bryen/Oklahoma Watch)
In their annual budget proposal, Oklahoma City officials allocated $300,000 to reinvent the city’s response to mental health 911 calls. But few details are known about the initiative, which seeks to minimize police involvement.