Police Response to People With Mental Illnesses in a Major U.S. City: The Boston Experience With the Co-Responder Model.

• NCJ Number: 253819
• Journal: Victims & Offenders Volume: 13 Issue: 8 Dated: 2018 Pages: 1093-1105
• Author(s): Melissa S. Morabito; Jenna Savage; Lauren Sneider; Kellie Wallace
• Date Published: 2018
• Length: 13 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2016-MO-BX-0009
• Sponsoring Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study explored the development and implementation of the co-response model, both nationally and in Boston, and using quantitative co-responder data, it examined short-term outcomes of the Boston Police Department's (BPD's) co-responder program; next, using qualitative data from officer interviews, this article discusses the perspectives of police officers on the utility and effectiveness of the co-responder approach in Boston.

Abstract

Like most major city police agencies, the Boston Police Department (BPD) serves a sizeable population of individuals with behavioral health challenges. In 2017, the BPD received a total of 681,546 calls for service; of those, 5,953 calls specifically involved people with mental illnesses. To better meet the needs of these individuals, the BPD has a strong history of working with the Boston Emergency Services Team (BEST) of the Boston Medical Center. This partnership resulted in the creation of the BPD's co-response program, which was launched in January 2011 to team Boston police officers with BEST clinicians. The goal of the program is to provide community-based psychiatric crisis services to stabilize nonviolent persons experiencing psychiatric emergencies, diverting these individuals from arrest and the criminal justice system when appropriate. (publisher abstract modified)