Falls Township Continues Co-Responder Program

FALLS TOWNSHIP, PA —With an eye on providing optimal social services for those dealing with a crisis or mental health issue, Falls Township Supervisors recently joined Falls Township Police Chief Nelson Whitney in supporting the continuation of its human services co-responder program.

Bucks County funded the first two years of the program with a grant. Beginning in January and
continuing through at least Dec. 31, 2025, Falls Township will cover the salary of the human services co-responder, a specially trained social worker paired with Falls police.

The co-responder assists with a variety of calls, including de-escalating adolescent issues or runaway scenarios, domestic violence calls, assisting those dealing with mental strife, and intervening in instances where suicide or self-harm is a concern.

The Co-Responder program was first piloted by the county in 2020 in Bensalem.

It has since been expanded to Middletown, Warminster, Warrington, and Bristol townships, and Bristol Borough, and Tullytown Borough.

Supervisor Chairman Jeff Dence said the township knew it would need to fund the program following the initial two-year stint. Dence said the co-responder program has been a “tremendous help” in addressing issues that would otherwise take a lot of police officer time.

Whitney told the board that in one month alone the co-responder received 35 referrals for residents in need of service.

“Each one of those referrals takes time that an officer would have been spending,” Whitney said. "It’s an invaluable program.”

Over a weekend the co-responder receives more than 100 text messages and emails, according to
Whitney.

Additional grant funding to help cover the $105,000 annual salary of the co-responder could be
forthcoming with grants, Whitney said.