PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN LAKEPORT POLICE DEPARTMENT AND LAKE COUNTY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES
DATE: January 16, 2019
For further information contact Chief of Police Brad Rasmussen or Lake County Behavioral Health Services Administrator Todd Metcalf
In 2018 the Lakeport City Council and Lake County Board of Supervisors authorized an agreement between the Lakeport Police Department (LPD) and Lake County Behavioral Health Services (LCBHS) which will allow crisis staff to work directly with police officers in the field and at the LPD station. Starting this month, LCBHS crisis staff will be working out of our station and with police officers in the field.
This agreement is part of a collaborative spirit between the two agencies and expected to help us provide better service to those in need of Behavioral Health assistance. Many of our police calls for service involve persons in need of behavioral health assistance. Although police officers do have special training in responding to persons in need of behavioral health care, this partnership will be valuable in providing more expertise and faster response to those persons in need.
Local Lake County statistics show that approximately 60% of behavioral health clients have initial contact with law enforcement prior to being escorted to the hospital Emergency Departments. With crisis staff housed at LPD, this will allow us to be available to go out into the community with crisis and welfare checks coming in through police dispatch. This allows a team of law enforcement personnel and Behavioral Health specialists to respond together, providing an invaluable blend of skills and techniques to use in crisis situations that ensure the utmost quality of services to the client while providing safety for law enforcement and Behavioral Health staff.
