New Braunfels approves agreement to place mental health professional in dispatch center

New Braunfels City Council approved an interlocal agreement between the New Braunfels Police Department and the Hill Country Community MHMR Center on Jan. 26 that looks to strengthen the city’s response to mental health-related calls.

What it means

The agreement formalizes a partnership to implement a qualified mental health professional within the police department’s dispatch center. The agreement comes from the Texas Interlocal Cooperation Act and supports the Comal County Mobile Crisis Outreach Program, which is led by the center, according to agenda documents.

The center will recruit, hire and supervise a mental health professional to work full-time alongside police dispatchers. The clinician will provide real-time consultations on nonviolent, nonemergency behavioral health calls, assist with risk assessments and help connect individuals to appropriate mental health resources, according to the agreement.

The program is designed to improve early intervention and de-escalation during mental health crises while allowing law enforcement officers to focus on higher-risk calls. Dispatchers will be able to divert certain calls away from patrol response when no immediate threat is present, directing individuals to appropriate care instead, according to agenda documents.

Next steps

Both the city and the mental health professional will collect and analyze program data to evaluate effectiveness, track outcomes and support continuous improvement. All services will be provided in compliance with state and federal privacy laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, according to the city. The agreement will take effect Oct. 15 and remain in place through Oct. 14, 2026, with options for renewal pending funding availability.