The United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) launched an online toolkit Monday that supports law enforcement agencies around the country in planning and implementing effective public-safety responses to people who have mental illnesses.
Highlighting the role of police departments in advancing these approaches, BJA announced the Police-Mental Health Collaboration (PMHC) Toolkit at the 2016 International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference in San Diego, California. The PMHC Toolkit was developed in partnership with The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center and gathers best practices and resources to help law enforcement agencies partner with mental health providers to respond appropriately and safely to people with mental illnesses.
Speaking Monday at the IACP conference, Attorney General Loretta Lynch called the new toolkit a “one-stop learning center to help departments craft comprehensive responses.”
The Council of State Governments, National Association of Counties, and American Psychiatric Association are the three lead agencies in the Stepping Up Initiative, which was launched last year to bridge the gap between mental health and public safety issues and reduce the number of mentally ill individuals incarcerated in jails.
Contributed by: Patrick Sieng | AOC Public Safety Policy Manager