Resident Reactions to Proactive Mental Health and Policing: A Demonstration Project of a Police and Mental Health Professional Outreach Program in Baltimore, Maryland

• In Event: Police Responses to the Mentally Ill and Other Special Populations

Abstract

Individuals with mental health and substance abuse issues often struggle to connect with services that can help them with their issues. As a result, people with these problems may bounce in and out of services and completely detach from them over time, resulting in a deterioration of their mental and physical health. The current research project proposes a proactive approach to addressing these concerns by focusing on individuals who live in crime hot spots who also have mental health and substance abuse issues. Police officers were teamed up with mental health clinicians to go into these communities to talk to residents about crime problems on their streets as well as offer assistance with mental health and substance abuse problems. The focus on this presentation is on resident reactions to the team. Data was collected during a 14-week pilot study and process evaluation and will include qualitative data from ride-alongs with the teams and interviews with residents about their experiences with the program. This presentation will also include implications for an expansion of this program and potential outcomes.

Authors

• Victoria L. Goldberg, George Mason University

• Clair White, George Mason University

• David Weisburd, George Mason University