City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: FEBRUARY 3, 2021
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Proposed Alexandria Crisis Intervention and Co-Responding Program.
BODY
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ISSUE: Creation of a Police-Behavioral Health Co-Responding Program.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council: (1) receive and endorse the proposed Alexandria Crisis Intervention Co-Responding Pilot Program proposal; and (2) direct the City Manager to proceed with implementation as outlined in this memorandum.
BACKGROUND: This memorandum and recommendation are the next steps in response to City Council's June 23, 2020 request for information on 21st Century Public Safety Models, as well as, Council's discussion at its October 27, 2020 Legislative meeting on policing and behavioral health issues.
In 2009, City staff began implementing an array of services aimed at identifying, assisting and diverting persons with behavioral health challenges away from the criminal justice system and into the treatment system. In addition to the 24/7 crisis response work conducted by DCHS Emergency Services staff, hundreds of police officers and other first responders have been trained in crisis intervention, learning how to identify persons experiencing a behavioral health crisis, how to de-escalate situations, and how to safely and appropriately connect these persons with treatment resources. In addition, services have been developed to proactively reach out to persons not in crisis but who are high utilizers of emergency services, including 911 and the Inova Alexandria Hospital Emergency Department, to connect them with community treatment services that decrease their need for reactive, crisis-based interventions.
Other initiatives which promote compassion, prevention and treatment services to persons in crisis and/or already involved in the...
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