WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Officers with the Williamsport Bureau of Police are sworn "to protect and serve." And every day, they respond to many different emergencies- including calls dealing with a mental health crisis. Now, the bureau is implementing a mental health co-responder model. Officers will team up with a mental health professional to better respond to those calls.
"Having a co-responder go out and make contact with folks with us, it allows them to assess if there's a mental health crisis and allows us to kind of steer that individual or the resources to that individual for further follow-up," said Captain Joshua Bell Williamsport Police.
Captain Joshua Bell says that one in ten calls the Williamsport Bureau of Police responds to involves a mental health crisis.
"That occurs pretty frequently, the officers when they have that are kind of assessing what's really going on here, sometimes when calls come in what we—what we're initially dispatched to is a little bit different then what the officers are uncovering when they start investigating."
The program was made possible thanks to the Pennsylvania Commission on Delinquency and Crime Grant funding. The Williamsport Bureau of Police will also partner with the Center for Community Resources.
"And they are going to be hiring someone to ride along with police officers when they are responding to individuals experiencing mental health," said Valerie Fessler, City of Williamsport grant writer.
Right now, when police officers respond to a mental health crisis call, they try to connect someone with the resources they need the most.
"Having a co-responder go out to the scene with the officer, have direct contact, I think gives them a little bit more unfiltered direct access, I think it's gonna create a better result and just gets the resources involved for people that need it earlier on rather than you know down the road," said Captain Bell.
The Williamsport Bureau of Police is looking to hire that co-responder. Officials tell us the job will be posted in the coming weeks.