‘Innovative’ Co-Responder Program embeds mental health pros with Lincoln police officers on calls

LINCOLN — Mental health professionals will start accompanying Lincoln police officers on calls involving people having a mental health crisis under a new program announced Tuesday.

The Co-Responder Program is a partnership between the Lincoln Police Department and CenterPointe. It is to be funded the first three years by a $550,000 Bureau of Justice Assistance grant and $221,278 from the City of Lincoln’s general funds.

Officials called the program an innovative solution to the complex challenge of mental health.

Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said it was a “shining example” of agencies joining forces to get the most appropriate and effective care to people in need. She was joined at a news conference by Lincoln Police Chief Michon Morrow, CenterPointe Chief Operating Officer Tami Lewis-Ahrendt and others.

“By embedding behavioral health professionals within law enforcement response teams, we aim to de-escalate situations and connect individuals with the services they need,” said Lewis-Ahrendt, whose organization was selected in a competitive bid process.

Better outcomes

Morrow said such co-responder programs have led to better outcomes by reducing use of control by officers and future contacts with the caller and by getting the appropriate experts quicker to people in distress.

“Our goal is to meet people where they are and provide them with the support they need, whether that’s law enforcement intervention, mental health care or simply ensuring they have the basic necessities to live with dignity,” the chief said.

In the past, Lincoln police officers at times have called upon a CenterPointe mobile unit to provide assistance in situations involving a mental health episode that they encounter after arriving at a scene, said Lincoln police spokesperson Erika Thomas.

But under the new program, she said, three new master’s degree-level professionals are to be hired full-time specifically for this effort and will respond to a scene at the same time as the officer to help from the onset.

The co-responders will receive calls for service in ways that include a dispatch by the Lincoln Emergency Communications Center, a request by a police officer or by monitoring emergency radio channels.

About 85% of the program funds are to pay for salaries.

Most of the rest is to go to co-responder training and for research on the program’s effectiveness. The Malone Center is to collect community feedback on the police mental health response, and a team led by Dr. Richard Wiener at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln psychology department is to evaluate the impact.

‘Refining’ police practices

Lincoln Capt. Ben Kopsa said that since tracking began in May, Lincoln police responded to more than 5,000 mental health-related calls for service out of nearly 47,000 total calls received during that time, or about 11%.

He said that because people typically call 911 for both public safety concerns and mental health crises, the Co-Responder Program will allow officers fast access to expert assistance when they believe that mental health is a contributing factor.

The program should allow Lincoln police officers to return to service while clinicians stay on site working with the individual in crisis.

“Through this partnership, we are committed to refining law enforcement practices and providing crucial mental health support to those in need,” said John Goodwin, CEO of the Malone Center.