By Police1 Staff
WASHINGTON — The Council of State Governments Justice Center has selected four law enforcement agencies to participate in its effort to improve services for people with mental illnesses.
In collaboration with the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Police Foundation, the CSG selected four LE agencies to participate in the BJA-supported Law Enforcement-Mental Health Learning Site initiative, according to a CSG press release. The initiative delivers peer-to-peer support learning through a cooperative agreement with the CSG Justice Center.
The four selected agencies are the Madison County (Tenn.) Sheriff’s Office, Arlington (Mass.) PD, Jackson County (Ohio) Sheriff’s Office and the Tucson PD. The agencies will join the six current departments representing a cross-section of model strategies and examples of successful collaborations between LE and mental health agencies.
The sites will provide resources for state and local LE agencies that are developing or enhancing a Police-Mental Health Collaboration, including a Crisis Intervention Team, co-response team, or mobile crisis team.
Agencies will be able to use the learning sites to reduce repeat encounters with LE, reduce arrests and make encounters with officers safer. Each site will answer questions, host site visits and work to develop materials for practitioners and community partners.