Pine Belt CoRP (Co-Responder Program)

The Pine Belt Co-Responder Program (PB-CoRP) will improve and enhance the synergy between law enforcement and mental health with the provision of MCeRT (Mobile Crisis Response Team) in-person, on-scene support; after event support; and virtual support to law enforcement and their contacts. The same support will be provided to MCeRT by CIT officers when they are called to crisis scenes independent of law enforcement. Additionally, correctional officers and dispatchers will have access to CIT training that targets each profession.  The co-responder model will be activated in Forrest and Lamar Counties in southern Mississippi. PB-CoRP's objectives are 1) to reduce the detention of individuals living with mental illness who encounter CIT officers to 10%; 2) to engage at least 70% of MCeRT/CIT into mental health services; and 3) to improve aggregate DLA scores by 20% six months after engagement. During the planning phase PB-CoRP will add staff to MCeRT in Lamar County, expand the Advisory Team, develop MOUs, expand the CIT curriculum, and complete the P & I Guide. During the implementation phase, PB-CoRP there will annually be a minimum of two CIT classes for law enforcement, one for dispatch, and one for correctional officers. Daily operations will be monitored by the project coordinator, and the project evaluator will collect operational data and synthesize it to inform decision-making.