- How mental health providers are working to support local law enforcement.
- Georgia Pines is set on connecting people with appropriate resources rather than placing someone in crisis in jail.
- Watch the story to hear how a officer used quick thinking to keep himself and others safe.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Police said calls related to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis are spreading officers thin.
I talked to a police captain who told me a story where a wellness check escalated into a dangerous situation.
"When he was turning around with a knife in his hand I already had my taser out,” said Captain Charles Strickland, Bainbridge Public Safety.
A tense moment for Strickland earlier this month.
He was called to Hall Street for a routine call for a person experiencing a mental health crisis.
Strickland said he knew he had to use quick thinking to de-escalate threats of violence.
"Somebody with a knife can come at you very quickly in a very short distance,” said Strickland.
Stickland, like all other officers have completed crisis intervention training but he tells me more resources are needed.
Especially during times where an officer must be present during the mental evaluation.
"That officer could be sitting with that individual for anywhere from two hours to three or four days,” according to Strickland.
Leaders from Bainbridge Public Safety and the Decatur County Sheriff's office have reached out to Georgia Pines to step in to bridge gaps when it comes to responding to reports from those experiencing a mental crisis.
"Mental health crisis therapist specialists are basically trained to deal with those crises on the scene,” said executive director for Georgia Pines, Robert Hurn.
Georgia Pines is a community resource that offers services to those living with
mental health, substance abuse, intellectual or developmental disabilities.
They are partnering with local law enforcement to expand the co-response program where licensed professionals aid officers during calls surrounding mental crises.
"[Clinicians] to calm that situation down so there's not any problems for law enforcement having to get involved and arrest that individual,” according to Hurn.
The co-responder program is already active in Thomas, Colquitt and Mitchell counties..
The program's expansion is dependent on approval for grant funds from the Connect to Protect Law Enforcement Behavioral Health Response program from the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
"Resources for city and county.. We need that and more,” said Strickland.
Hurn said it will be about three months before he knows the status of grant funds.
If you or someone you know is searching for mental health resources visit here.
