A pilot program by the city of Columbus sent "triage pods" on certain mental health emergency calls instead of police officers. Officials there say the roughly one-month pilot has shown good early results.
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Detroit police expand mental health crisis response program
By Veronica Meadows and David Komer online producer
Published
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Detroit police said it responds to at least 20 calls a day on average for people going through a mental health crisis. This is a crisis that really impacts our community we cannot arrest our way through mental illness, said Interim Detroit Police Chief James White. This is a disease that victimizes our community, plain and simple. We see it day in and day out.
Detroit police says Crisis Intervention Team has made impact in mental health cases
Detroit police said it responds to at least 20 calls a day on average for people going through a mental health crisis. In response the department announced they are expanding a program that has already seen success in four precincts. It is called the Behavioral Health Co-Response Pilot Program.
The city of Columbus is rolling out a four-to-six-week pilot program on Monday that will help determine whether 911 calls need an emergency response by police and firefighter-medics or by others, such as social workers or clinicans who are better equipped to deal with mental health or substance abuse issues. For far too often and long, we ve asked police officers to be social workers, medics, Mayor Andrew J. Ginther said Friday during a news conference to announce what is being called the Alternative Response Pilot Program. The event was held at Columbus Public Health near Downtown.
A paramedic and Columbus Public Health clinician will be embedded in the city s 911 call center to help triage calls and determine whether police and fire should be responding to calls or someone else, said Columbus Fire Capt. Matt Parrish.