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South King County Co -Responder Project Narrative <br />Protect Description <br />The South King County Co -Responder Program will be a partnership that includes the police <br />departments of Algona, Auburn, Des Moines, Federal Way, Kent, Pacific, Renton and Tukwila along with <br />the King County Behavioral Health and Recovery Division (BHRD) and King County Behavioral Health <br />agencies to provide a coordinated response to those in South King County experiencing mental health <br />crisis and emergencies. This partnership between law enforcement and mental health professionals is <br />the collaborative effort necessary to respond to community members in need. This shared approach has <br />been shown to improve engagement with people experiencing crises and reduce the rate in which <br />individuals experiencing mental health crises are incarcerated. <br />The mental health co -responders will engage directly with officers from the participating law <br />enforcement agencies and will be employees of a licensed behavioral health agency. The co -responders <br />will be housed at the Des Moines Police Sub -Station located at 272nd and Pacific Highway South. This <br />location borders three of the participating agency jurisdictions. The co -responders may also be provided <br />with desk space at participating agency stations as necessary to travel the South King County region <br />effectively. <br />There will be an assigned Assistant Chief or Commander from one of the participating agencies to serve <br />as the Program Supervisor, to provide program oversight, data tracking and coordination. The Program <br />Supervisor will report to the Program Manager, who will oversee the budget and program development. <br />The Program Manager will report to the program team, which consists of the Chief of each participating <br />agency and representatives from the Behavioral Health agency. <br />How does the approach comply with HB 2892? <br />The approach taken by the South King County Police Departments and King County with this co - <br />responder program reflects the intent of the Mental Health Field Response Program as described in <br />HB2892, including but not limited to, Section 1, paragraphs 2 and 3 and the Purpose Statement on page <br />1 of this grant application. <br />This approach provides for a wraparound plan with dedicated Mental Health Professionals and Mental <br />Health Navigators available to law enforcement during work hours and in an on-call capacity. This <br />coordinated response will provide for the ability to safely and sensitively respond to people in crisis. The <br />goal is to provide crisis intervention services and refer to and promote treatment, and when possible <br />avoid incarceration and hospitalization. <br />The majority of the officers from the participating agencies have completed the Crisis Intervention <br />Training through the State of Washington 8 and 40 hour courses. Members of the participating Law <br />Enforcement Agencies have been meeting with Representatives of the Washington State Legislature — <br />including their staff, Behavioral Health service providers and the King County Behavioral Health and <br />Recovery Division to develop a comprehensive plan to safely respond to and prevent the deeper <br />involvement of vulnerable individuals in the justice system. <br />The addition of Mental Health Navigators will assist those in need with preventative and follow-up <br />services once the initial call from crisis services is resolved. <br />39 <br />