CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAM (CIT) OFFICER

The Ottawa County Sherriff’s Office (OCSO)’s proposed Justice Mental Health Collaboration initiative will build on existing partnerships between law enforcement, public providers of mental health services, and other key community partners in order to create a more just, collaborative, and effective response to people experiencing mental health crises in Ottawa County.  The proposed initiative is relevant to program priority area 1 “identify and reduce the risk of harm to individuals with MI or CMISA,” OCSO will partner closely with Community Mental Health of Ottawa County (CMHOC) in order to develop a countywide approach to Mental Health Emergency response which involves mental health providers at the earliest point of intercept, diverting people from criminal prosecution and toward appropriate behavioral health treatment and avoiding use of force in the interest of public safety. The initiative will also proactively build relationships with providers of behavioral health services in order make law-enforcement agencies more fully aware of the presence and locations of people living with mental illness and substance-use disorders. Primary activities will include: the creation of a Multidisciplinary Mental Health Unit including CIT trained officers and Mental Health Clinicians/Caseworkers; CIT training for sworn officers; Training for central dispatch authority regarding mental health calls; system integration for ER and EMT response; improvement of information exchange between partnering agencies which honors all legal requirements regarding confidentiality. Deliverables will include: # of officers trained in CIT; # of “Mental Health” classified calls identified and; % of “mental health” classified calls responded to by the Mental Health unit; % responded to by Mental Health alone; % responded to by CIT trained officer; % responded to by officers in general. The service area of the project will be the entirety of Ottawa County with particular emphasis on the urban centers of Holland and Grand Haven. Program beneficiaries will include those living with MI, CMISA, people living with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities, and/or youth with Serious Emotional Disturbances, their families, behavioral health providers, and law enforcement agencies. Approximately #### people living with MI/CMISA will receive behavioral health services during emergencies throughout the program period. Ottawa County is home to 291,830 people and is the fastest growing county in Michigan. The population is 83.4% White, 10.2% Hispanic/Latino, 3% Asian, 2% Black, 2% Two or More Races, .6% Native American, and .1% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. OCSO is requesting $550,000. Subcontractors will include CMHOC, (Law Enforcement Trainer 1).