Arlington Police Dept To Serve As Mental Health Learning Site

ARLINGTON, MA — Arlington Police Department will be one of four new Law Enforcement Mental Health Learning Sites in the U.S., with the goal of improving police relations with those suffering from mental illnesses, the department announced Tuesday.

Under that designation, police will provide resources for state and local law enforcement agencies that are developing or enhancing a Police-Mental Health Collaboration, such as a crisis intervention team, co-response team, mobile crisis team, case management approach, or tailored approach, to more effectively respond to people with mental illnesses.

“It is an honor to be one of 10 agencies in the country recognized by the CSG Justice Center as a resource for our law enforcement partners and mental health agencies looking to expand their services,” said Police Chief Frederick Ryan. “We have seen our approach in Arlington work successfully and hope to help other cities and towns achieve the same results."

Arlington Police will also be available to answer questions, host site visits, and work with Council of State Governments Justice Center staff to develop materials for practitioners and community partners.

In an effort to expand the knowledge base for law enforcement agencies interested in starting or enhancing a mental health program, the Justice Center, with assistance from a team of national experts and the U.S. Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, overseas 10 police departments acting as national law enforcement mental health learning sites.

The Council of State Governments Justice Center chose the Arlington Police Department to be one of four new nationwide learning sites given the success of the Arlington Jail Diversion Program and Arlington Opiate Outreach Initiative, according to the press release.

Speaking of Opiate outreach:

The opiate outreach program began in June 2015 and blends police work and community engagement to assist those suffering from addiction and mental illness, which often go hand in hand. Through that program Arlington Police have expanded access to Naloxone (nasal Narcan) to people in the community.

The department's mental health clinician, who has taken on the role of opiate outreach coordinator, holds regular meetings with residents to provide services, resources and treatment options that help empower families to get their loved ones the help they need to recover. The opiate program has made such an impact in Arlington that it has been implemented by police departments, cities and towns throughout the U.S, according to police.

And that's not all:

Five years earlier, Police launched the Jail Diversion Program works to prevent people with mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders from entering the criminal justice system in 2010. Having its own in-house mental health clinician allowed the Arlington Police Department to connect residents with treatment and services, prevent unnecessary trips to emergency departments and has shortened the length of time officers spend at mental health calls for service, the department said in a release.

Because of both the Arlington Opiate Outreach Initiative and the Jail Diversion Program, Arlington Police officers have undergone numerous training sessions that have prepared the department for its learning site status. Areas of specialized instruction include mental health first aid, autism, substance abuse, hoarding, veteran services, domestic violence, elder abuse, Narcan and crisis de-escalation.

The three other newly selected Council of State Governments sites include the Madison County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio and the Tucson Police Department in Arizona.

The four newly selected sites join sites in Houston, Los Angeles, Madison, Portland, Maine and Salt Lake City and Florida.

Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch