Collaborative cross-system response program that targets preliminarily qualified offenders and promotes public safety and public health in Suffolk County.

The Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) as lead agency is proposing a collaborative mental health crisis response program with a partner mental health agency (Family Service League) with 2 major objectives: (1) Implementation of 911 Call Diversion Program, and (2) Development of a Mental Health Collaborative to reduce recidivism among “high utilizers” of police services with MI or CMISA. This grant proposal seeks $550,000 of federal funding to support these comprehensive collaborative efforts to promote effective strategies by law enforcement to identify and reduce the risk of harm to individuals with MI or CMISA and to public safety. In 2020 alone, SCPD received over 7,700 behavioral health calls. While this program will serve the entire County of Suffolk (population 1.5 million, 88.4% white, 8.7% black, 20% Hispanic/Latinx), the program will seek to identify and focus on areas of high utilization and social vulnerability.  Together with its partner agency, Family Service League, the SCPD is confident that these programmatic changes will positively impact and improve the response to mental health crises in Suffolk County.