Law Enforcement Collaboration: Crisis Call Diversion Program

Success Through Collaboration  Largest behavioral and developmental disability care center in Texas.  Served over 48,000 individuals in 2015 by offering a full range of community based programs.  Partners with hundreds of community advocacy organizations, hospitals, foundations, governmental entities, non- profit groups and others to connect its consumers with the best available care. *Formerly MHMRA of Harris County  Largest police department in Texas.  Largest number of CIT trained officers in the United States, approximately ½ of force.  The mission of the Houston Police Department’s Mental Health Division is to provide a professional, humane, and safe response to individuals in a serious mental health crisis.  Went from a Unit to Division in 2012  In 2015, HPD responded to 35,898 calls for service coded as mental health related  Less than 1% resulted in an arrest

Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES) at the Neuropsychiatric Center (NPC) Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (MCOT) HelpLine Crisis Intervention Response Team (CIRT)* Critical Time Intervention (CTI) Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) Crisis Residential Unit (CRU) Chronic Consumer Stabilization Initiative (CCSI)* Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP) CIRT Expansion to include Harris County Sheriff’s Office* Homeless Outreach Team (HOT)* Crisis Call Diversion (CCD)* 2011 KEY *JOINT HPD PROGRAMS *JOINT HCSO PROGRAM Post Hospitalization Crisis Residential Unit (PHCRU) Peer Crisis Respite

State general revenue Harris County funding influx First private grant received for CCSI SAMHSA Federal PATH Grant City of Houston funding for CCSI First private grant received for HOT Medicaid 1115 waiver funding Harris County match 2013 Funding Timeline First private grants received for CCD DOJ grant received for CCD

 Program partners a CIT officer or deputy with a licensed mental health clinician  1 of 3 CIRT Programs in the country  Only CIRT Program in Texas  Now also includes Harris County Sheriffs Office  Covers all of City of Houston and Harris County  20 teams total  24 hours/day, 7 days/week  Responds to calls involving mental health crises, SWAT, and conducts mental health assessments at City of Houston Jail Success Through Collaboration

 Program identifies, engages, and provides services to individuals who have been diagnosed with serious and persistent mental illness and who have had frequent encounters with the Houston Police Department  Marked the first time the City of Houston funded this kind of program  Provides intensive case management to 75 individuals  10 part of a violent offender section  Significantly reduced number of crisis admissions to PES/local hospitals and interaction with police  Receives private funding for psychiatric technician position  Private/community support was instrumental in COH’s decision to continue its funding of CCSI

 Program partners CIT officers with PATH* case managers to go out into the community and proactively engage homeless individuals, many of whom are living with mental illness  Consists of 1 sergeant, 4 officers, 3 PATH Case Managers, and 1 PATH Supervisor  Links clients to services in the community, including ID Letter  Maintains a working relationship with many local non-profits and social service providers Success Through Collaboration *PATH: SAMHSA Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness  Received private funding for equipment and documentary film  Private/community support was instrumental in decision to expand the HOT

Success Through Collaboration

Who are the collaborators ? Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD Houston Police Department Mental Health Division Houston Police Department Emergency Communications Division Harris County 911 – Houston Emergency Communications Center Funders

The Action Plan Step One – Concept Development ◦An Idea ◦Data Collected ◦Examination of Data Step Two - Partners Defined ◦Organizational; Meetings ◦Roles Defined Step Three - Memorandum of Understanding ◦Cementing the Relationships ◦Assigns responsibilities Step Four – Operational Plan ◦Procedures and Operational Plan Defined ◦Hiring of staff ◦Training of staff ◦Pilot Period to Test Concept ◦Expansion to Complete Program Friendship Dating Engagement Marriage

Collaboration- “The Blended Family” Harris Center for Mental Health Social Justice ◦Mission Statement ◦Code of Ethics Policies – Social Services Oriented Procedures - Houston Police Department Criminal Justice ◦Mission Statement ◦Code of Ethics Policies – Public Safety Oriented Procedures – Security Oriented ◦Multi- Levels of Oversight

The Houston Emergency Communications Center processes approximately 9,000 calls for service daily.

Between 9,000 and 12,000 calls coded as mental health related in 2015 were cleared as “information only” which means that an officer took no action on the scene. HPD Mental Health Related Calls

Houston Emergency Center (HEC) receives approximately 9,000 calls for service on a daily basis Mental health phone counselors on the floor of HEC identify calls appropriate for CCD Program Mental health phone counselors provide call back to calls identified as appropriate for CCD Program Mental health phone counselors assess the situation Provide appropriate intervention If emergency responders are needed at this point, call goes back to dispatch Look at all calls coming into HPD dispatch Calls are assigned a code based on information received by call taker Have access to The Harris Center records to determine if individual is current/past client Referrals to MCOT, CIRT, community- based services, other Determine if additional call back is required in the near future Either CCD staff of The Harris Center HelpLine staff Crisis Call Diversion Pilot Program

911 Call Taker Dispatcher Que – Calls Hold for Available Unit Displayed on Screen CIT/ PDU- Handle call with Callers Consent Clear call Send to Dispatcher for Officer to respond Phone Counselor Select call

CCD Funding  Partial funding for 3 years  After DOJ BJA grant, re-allocated initial 2 year award to 3 year award (same amount)  Funding for 2 year pilot

Contact Information Jennifer Battle, LMSW Director, HelpLine The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD ; Senior Officer Doug Anders Mental Health Division Houston Police Department ;