Co-responders have been hired and trained to assist officers with the Lincoln Police Department (LPD) on calls involving a mental health crisis, Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird touted Thursday at a morning news conference.
The Co-Responder Program is a partnership between LPD and CenterPointe, a local mental health and substance use treatment organization. The program was first announced in fall 2024. The Mayor said two co-responders began service March 3, with another expected to start in early April.
“This collaborative approach provides a more focused and effective response to the mental health needs of the community, while ensuring public safety,” Mayor Gaylor Baird said. “The City’s implementation of the Co-Responder Program is a testament to how we work with our community partners to get our community members the care they need, when they need it.”
LPD Chief Michon Morrow said that since May 2024, LPD has responded to more than 12,000 mental health-related calls for service, which represents about 12% of the total calls for LPD service during that time. Nearly 4,000 of the mental health-related calls required officers to place individuals into emergency protective custody, which reinforces the need for co-responders, she said at the news conference.
Embedded at LPD, co-responders receive calls for service through a request by LPD officers or by monitoring emergency radio channels. LPD Captain Ben Kopsa said both officers and co-responders are reporting positive experiences about the program and continue to collect data that helps staff improve performance.
Since the program began, co-responders have responded to 23 calls for service, in which 15 individuals received assistance that did not require further emergency intervention, said Amber Dirks, CenterPointe Senior Director of Community Response and Co-Responder Program Manager. Sixty-nine percent of those also received follow-up support, she said.
Each co-responder completes 120 hours of law enforcement training prior to joining officers in the field. Training covers areas such as radio procedures, de-escalation techniques, emergency protective custody statutes, use of force and tactics, and other relevant topics.
The initial three years of the Co-Responder Program are funded by a $550,000 Bureau of Justice Assistance grant with a match of $221,278 from the City’s budgeted general funds. Nearly 85% of those funds pay co-responder salaries. Funding for the Co-Responder Program also includes a $200,000 federal grant from the COPS Program for Promoting Access to Crisis Teams.
For more information on CenterPointe, visit centerpointe.org.