This study examines how police response to individuals in crisis could be improved through service alternatives.
In this study, researchers conducted a place-based cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the effects of the co-responder model on subsequent outcomes of individuals who were experiencing a crisis and involved in mental health-related calls for service. The researchers identified several recommendations for police departments serving suburban-rural jurisdictions to improve their responses to CFS involving individuals who are a mental health crisis. This project was an experimental evaluation of a collaborative partnership among the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy at George Mason University (CEBCP-GMU), Roanoke Police Department (RPD), Roanoke County Police Department (RCPD), Salem Police Department (SPD), and Vinton Police Department (VPD) as well as Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare (BRBH) in Roanoke Valley region of Virginia. The study took place in the Roanoke Valley, which includes Roanoke County, the cities of Roanoke and Salem, and the town of Vinton, a predominantly suburban-rural region in southwest Virginia. Each of the jurisdictions listed has its own police department. The City of Roanoke is home to approximately 98,000 residents. Roanoke County has a population of 97,026, and the City of Salem and the town of Vinton have a population of 25,523 and 8,043 in 2022, respectively. As of the beginning of this project, the number of sworn officers in each agency: 268 in RPD, 114 in RCPD, 67 in SPD, and 24 in VPD.