The Impact of Mental Health Professionals During Police Calls for Service in Fort Collins, Colorado

• In Event: Barriers and Pathways to Healthcare for Justice-Involved Community Members

Abstract

In response to calls for police reform, co-response has become a focal point for practitioners, scholars, and stakeholders. Across the United States, many jurisdictions are implementing co-responder teams, which integrate qualified mental health professionals into police emergency responses. Although these programs are being developed and implemented at a rapid pace in the U.S., there is a lack of rigorous evaluations on the impacts of these programs. To address this prominent gap in evidence-based policing, our interdisciplinary team of researchers, practitioners, and law enforcement personnel have come together to evaluate a metropolitan police department’s mental health response team. Utilizing data from field observations and the police department's calls for service, we have gained valuable insights into the differences between traditional police response and a specialized co-response unit when handling calls involving individuals with mental illness. Additionally, this project extends beyond police-civilian interactions during calls for service by examining the extent to which service providers and community members engage with and utilize the mental health response team. Through this work, we deliver meaningful insight on best practices for co-response implementation, the impact of specialized mental health response units, and the broader influence of such programs on the community at large.

Authors

• Haley Moon, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

• Clair V. Uding, University of Wyoming

• Lauren Porter, University of Maryland, College Park