Knoxville, TN adjusts police responses to mental health crises with co-responder pilot

Knoxville, TN Co-Responder Pilot Mental Health Crises

In Progress

A police officer is paired with a behavioral specialist from the McNabb Center for 911 call responses. The officer evaluates the safety of a scene before the specialist works with people facing psychological issues. Residents with diagnosed conditions are directed to service providers and evaluated during follow-ups with the response team. The one-year pilot could lead to additional teams for assistance with Knoxville's 270,000 police calls per year.

Pilot / POC Public Safety Health & Human Services

Knoxville, TN

Municipality in Tennessee

United States

Newsworthy

City of Knoxville

communications*

Knoxville police and McNabb Center co-responder program aims to fight mental health stigma | wbir.com

"It lowers the stigma against us, that we're not there to arrest someone, and it raises awareness that mental health is real," said one police officer.

Project Succeeded

The co-responder team responded to 40 calls in its first six weeks and 100 calls in the first four months.

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