In communities throughout the United States, law enforcement is now and will continue to be the first to respond to a crisis involving mental health, substance abuse or some other form of severe distress.
Responding officers have traditionally handled these complicated and often dangerous calls for service without any advanced specialized training, instead relying on a model of policing that seeks to deescalate the immediate public safety threat, secure a crime scene, gather information from witnesses and decide on a course of action that can vary, depending on the nature of the crime or concern that is being reported.
While these are critical law enforcement functions, for far too long law enforcement has been missing out on an opportunity to connect those who may be experiencing a mental health crisis with some form of clinical intervention at the exact moment it is needed the most.
Recognizing the critical need for a practical, low-cost, and replicable clinician-led co-responder model that can be accessible to law enforcement 24/7 and can serve a geographic area as large as Cook County, I decided in 2019 to establish the Cook County sheriff’s office Treatment Response Team unit, which oversees the sheriff’s Co-Responder Virtual Assistance Program. This tool allows officers to deescalate potentially violent situations, as well as provide aftercare and ongoing case management for individuals who need mental health services.
Unlike other local initiatives that end up on the chopping block for budgetary reasons, the model now serves 39 law enforcement agencies in suburban Cook and another 10 are prepared to sign on. The funding to operate these programs is roughly 0.50% (one-half of 1%) of the sheriff’s office budget.
This co-responder model uses technology to provide real-time access to a clinician via tablet technology. In contrast, a different and more costly model used in other small towns and cities relies solely on a clinician to respond to a call.
But those programs experience a low volume of calls that are heavily screened, and can only cover limited geographic areas, leaving many people who might need help without service. Those programs also fail to consider the very grave public safety concerns in large municipal areas that can put civilian personnel in danger when they respond, alone, to calls out in the field.
Hiring full-time mental health professionals to physically respond to a crisis 24/7 sounds ideal in theory, but in practice, has proven fiscally impossible at any reasonable scale.
By using telehealth technologies, we aren’t just saving taxpayer dollars — we are saving lives. These initiatives are a paradigm shift in law enforcement practice that acknowledges the realities of our time: an alarming shortage of mental health professionals, tight municipal budgets and an ever-increasing demand for case management services that is far beyond the traditional role of police.
Here in Cook County, we are embracing innovation and putting the public’s needs first. I believe this model can serve as a blueprint for agencies nationwide looking to stretch their budgets without compromising the level of care they provide to residents. My office has already visited the Broward County sheriff’s office in southern Florida to assist their agency in getting their own version of our program off the ground.
It’s not too late for other big cities to jump on board and adopt similar solutions that make sense for first responders, for clinicians, and most importantly, the communities they serve.
Thomas J. Dart is sheriff of Cook County.
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