Rockdale County Sheriff's Office Co-Responding Team

The proposed project is to Establish a Behavior Health Co-Responding Team (BHCRT) being sought under program-specific priority area: Promote effective strategies by law enforcement to identify and reduce the risk of harm to individuals with MHDs or co-occurring MHSUD who encounter law enforcement and improve public safety. As indicated on pages 5 & 10.

Primary activities to address the problem and respond to the priority consideration will be training in mental health service, substance abuse evaluations & resources, law enforcement response, court liaison services, resourcing behavioral health services to individuals with MHDs or co-occurring MHSUD. RCSO plans to use a multifaceted approach to improving public health and safety responses and outcomes that is based on a best practice model that aligns with Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) ideologies.

Products and/or deliverables include but are not limited to a planning and implementation guide, improved public safety response, reduced risk of harm and increased delivery of resources to individuals with MHDs or co-occurring MHSUD who encounter law enforcement.

Service area, jurisdiction’s population and demographic characteristics are as follows:

Rockdale County, Georgia, located 25 miles east of Atlanta, is part of the Metropolitan Atlanta region. Rockdale is the 2nd smallest county in Georgia, yet it is the 12th most populated out of 159 counties. Rockdale’s population density is 653 people per square mile, which is much higher than the state density of 168 per square mile and Rockdale is uniquely represented as 33% rural, 33% urban and 34% suburban.

Rockdale County, Georgia's estimated population is 92,069 with a growth rate of 0.43% in the past year according to the most recent U.S. census data. Blacks and whites are equally represented, including significant identification with Hispanic, Asian, and East Indian cultures.

The target population, individuals with MHDs or co-occurring MHSUD who encounter law enforcement will benefit from the proposed project. The demographics of the ethnicity of the target population are Black (Non-Hispanic) (53.8%), White (Non-Hispanic) (31.7%), White (Hispanic) (7.1%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (1.98%), and (non-Hispanic) (1.85%).

Based on historical data, the proposed number of individuals to be served is 800

The Rockdale County Board of Commissioners will serve as the lead applicant, and the partner applicants will be the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office (law enforcement) and View Point Health (mental health).

The amount federal funding requested is $540,000 and Rockdale is NOT a previous recipient of Connect and Protect: LE Behavioral Health Response funds.