Building Bridges: Horizon and Lynchburg Police Department Crisis Response

Horizon Behavioral Health proposes to expand collaboration with Lynchburg Police Department (LPD) through the development of a co-response between law enforcement and behavioral health at Horizons Crisis Receiving Center (CRC). There was a total of 548 hours of crisis calls logged in 2022, including 25 repeat callers. The number of shifts worked by the LPD rose from 295 in 2015 to 580 in 2021, representing a 51% percent increase in law enforcement burden. Coupled with a 15% vacancy rate for the LPD sworn staff and an overall increase in law enforcement burden in mental health crisis response, a co-responder model at our CRC will provide a needed intervention.

This response will consist of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) trained officers, clinicians, and a peer recovery specialist working in tandem. The purpose is to provide multiple treatment options for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis, including those that are placed under an Emergency Custody Order or a Temporary Detention Order in Central Virginia. Our proposal will embed the LPD in Horizons CRC to provide a co-response to individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis. Expected outcomes include a decrease in incarceration and psychiatric hospitalization and an increase in linkage to resources for individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis. There are no planned conference activities for the recommended award.