How it happened
Georgetown PD has seen a spike in calls for service in which mental health issues are involved, Chief Cory Tchida said.
From 2019 to 2022, the department saw a 108% increase in mental health incident calls, according to Georgetown PD data. Tchida said these calls do not account for the calls in which officers were not aware mental health issues were involved until arriving at the scene.
A closer look
The crisis intervention team will initially consist of four Georgetown police officers who are already serving on the force.
Tchida said the team will respond to service calls when it is known or suspected an individual is in a mental health crisis. These calls can range from disturbances to people who are at risk of suicide.
Mental health calls can take hours to successfully address and connect people to the necessary services, Tchida said. Because the crisis intervention team is stepping in full time to assist those with mental health needs, patrol officers will have more bandwidth to handle other service calls.
“The members of this team will have more bandwidth and resources to follow up with people who have experienced mental health crisis,” Tchida said.
Looking ahead
The crisis intervention team is permanent, and Tchida said the future expansion of the unit will be contingent on the call loads, growth and needs of the community.
People in need of mental health-related assistance are still encouraged to call 911 or the department’s nonemergency number, if applicable. Just like other police calls, the team will be dispatched to respective calls for service.
“We are excited about this unit and the opportunity it will provide to better assist those experiencing mental health crisis within the city of Georgetown,” Tchida said.
