This webinar will provide information on critical elements needed to plan, implement, and sustain officer intervention programs.
Across the United States, law enforcement and other first responder agencies are collaborating with behavioral health practitioners, peers, and service providers to implement deflection and pre-arrest diversion programs to redirect individuals with substance use and mental health disorders away from the justice system and into community-based treatment and services.
The Officer Intervention Pathway is centered on connecting eligible individuals to treatment and services to address the underlying reason for their alleged offense while still holding them accountable. To accomplish this, officers identify eligible participants during routine activities, like a “call for service,” and offer the person an opportunity to engage in treatment and services. If the person agrees to participate in the program, their charges are held in abeyance until the agreed-upon treatment plan is completed. If the program plan is not completed, charges may be filed.
During this webinar, representatives from officer intervention programs in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, and Orange County, North Carolina, will describe their programs and discuss critical elements needed to plan, implement, and sustain officer intervention programs.