Lawrenceville City Council members will vote on a proposed partnership between the Lawrenceville Police Department and View Point Health on Monday, May 24, in a program designed to help officers better handle mental health calls.
The proposed project is called Project F.I.R.S.T., which stands for "For Intensive Response and Supportive Transitions."
As a part of the partnership, two licensed behavioral health clinicians would be embedded with officers in the Lawrenceville Police Department (LPD) and would work out of police headquarters. These clinicians would be dispatched with officers to respond to mental health related calls and would be a resource to the individuals following the crisis intervention.
"The project has received a very positive response and we are getting a lot of comments from the public that are very positive toward having those people in place,” said Lawrenceville City Manager Chuck Warbington.
With the help of the View Point clinicians, the LPD will be better equipped to respond to mental health emergencies. After a mental health crisis is deemed safe, officers will be released from the scene and clinicians will respond accordingly.
“It’s going to be a force multiplier for our police department, and, frankly, it’s going to help the folks that need the help. They are going to have immediate needs and we are going to address those immediate needs and make sure that individuals continue to get that service after the call to service happens” said Warbington.
LPD wants to use the co-responder program to enhance its current response strategy for mental health crises. Project F.I.R.S.T. would provide a wide span of behavioral health services such as health assessments, group counseling and connection to other community services and resources. Clinicians would greatly limit or eliminate the need for police officers to be on the scene in mental health instances, which would allow for the LPD officers to serve in other areas of need.
Warbington said mental health calls have actually become more abundant for the LPD.
"A week ago, on Sunday, 80% of the calls had a mental health issue that evening, alone,” said Warbington. “So, with that kind of brought to light, just based on that one day, it really showed that there was a need for this.”
If approved, this program would be implemented on June 1.
