Crisis intervention teams would pair Montgomery County law enforcement officers with medical professionals to respond to mental health crises in hopes of limiting negative interactions between police and civilians in crisis if a new bill introduced in the Montgomery County Council on Tuesday is approved.
“This legislation would improve our county’s response to individuals in crisis using a model that is effective at de-escalating violent situations, diverting individuals from the criminal justice system and increasing access to needed follow up services,” said councilmember Dawn Luedtke (D-Dist. 7), who is sponsoring the legislation.
The Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) would be run jointly between the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD), and the bill would also establish a 15-member committee to oversee the CIT and conduct a yearly report.
The CIT’s main tasks would be to establish a model for “diverting individuals experiencing a mental or behavioral health crisis or substance use disorder crisis from the criminal justice system and into treatment,” and then responding to incidents involving people experiencing one of these crises, according to the draft legislation.
Each team would be composed of one clinician and one officer who would respond to individuals who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis and pose a danger to themselves or others, Luedtke said.
“This bill would ensure that our system is cohesive and navigable. CIT is a vital part of the larger landscape of interventions and wraparound services that are equally important in preventing and mitigating behavioral health crises in the first place,” Luedtke said.
Luedtke said the bill would not interfere with the work of the county crisis center and mobile crisis outreach teams.
“This bill adds another option to the menu of options available for crisis response. Crises can be present in a wide variety of ways and our system should have the flexibility to meet folks where they are,” Luedtke said.
A public hearing on the legislation is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 16. No vote has been scheduled.