The Grand Rapids Police Department is three years into a mental health co-response program partnering with Network 180.
And it’s succeeding, says Chief Eric Winstrom.
“911 seems to be the default for mental health crisis response so whether we like it or not, police have been responding to these calls for decades.”
The co-response program pairs clinicians with officers who respond to any call that has a mental health or substance use component such as a suicide threat or welfare check.
Krissy Rutkauskas was the first clinician to join the team.
“Myself and my partner will go to the call, de-escalate and then we can provide a variety of resource that individuals didn’t have access to in the past.”
Chief Winstrom says previously officers had only two options: call an ambulance or take a person to jail.
The new approach has also improved how police are seen in the community.
“They know when the police come, the answer may not be handcuffs. We have all these different resources we can reach out to for better outcomes.”
The team averages four responses per day.
It has handled over 4,200 cases in its first three years.
