Workshops with a blue icon will be recorded for IACP 2022 Virtual participants post-conference.

Leadership

Developing a Comprehensive Alternative Response Program for Mental Illness-Related Calls

Location: Ballroom C4, KBHCC

John A. Nicoletti, Ph.D.

Police Psychologist
Nicolett-Flater Associates
Lakewood, Colorado, United States
Paul M. Pazen

Chief of Police
Denver Police Department
Denver, Colorado, United States
Matthew M. Lunn, Ph.D.

Director of Strategic Initiatives
Denver Police Department
Denver, Colorado, United States

In a time in which law enforcement is faced with many new challenges along with a movement to "reimagine public safety", police leadership is faced with developing innovative programs to better address complex social issues when responding to call demands. One of the most pressing challenges is responding to mental health-related calls. The Denver, Colorado, Police Department has attempted to meet the complex needs of mental health calls by developing CIT training for officers and implementing a co-responder response program. The utilization of culturally competent and trained mental health professionals have proven to increase the long-term success for individuals suffering from mental health-related problems, along with decreasing call volume from high-resource utilizers.