Melrose, Stoneham PD Take Major Step In Mental Health Responses

STONEHAM, MA — The Stoneham and Melrose police departments' efforts to help those with mental illness or substance abuse challenges will be buoyed by a mental health clinician made possible by a half-million-dollar grant.

The departments will also jointly establish an arrest/jail diversion program, Melrose Police Chief Mike Lyle and Stoneham Police James McIntyre announced late last month.

The grant, funded by the Department of Mental Health, will provide the departments $45,000 this fiscal year and $90,000 annually for at least the next five.

The move comes as authorities across the country are urged to more appropriately respond to mental health crises. This funding helps provide resources to do so.

A mental health clinician will work with both departments and help connect residents to the assistance they need. The clinician will also train officers for how to best respond to mental health calls and will ride with officers on some of their busiest shifts. Additionally, the clinician will serve as the departments' bridge to Elior Community Health Services, which provides community-based services.

Mental health calls are "a small percentage" of Stoneham's calls, but how police respond can be vital, McIntrye said.

"Maybe three years ago, our officers didn’t always know the right questions to ask, and the person they were dealing with would have gone to court and had a record that would have followed them the rest of their lives," he said. "Ideally we’ll be able to intervene before the handcuffs go on."

Stoneham police have responded to 10 mental health calls in a recent two-week span; four calls involved someone making suicidal statements, and two officers were even assaulted during one of the calls.

"We go to the same small number of addresses, and we deal with the same people," Lyle said. "With the diversion program our goal is to reduce the volume of those calls. If we can reduce that volume, it’s a win for both communities."

The hope is the clinician is on staff by mid-July, working three days a week in one community and two in the other while being able to respond to urgent calls either way.

The departments have committed to the One Mind Campaign, which is a pledge to improve mental health programming, training and procedures.

"By having interactions with people on a weekly or monthly basis, the clinician can prevent a one-time flare-up that could result in a court proceeding," said Stoneham Sgt. Christopher Apalakis, the department's grant administrator.

Representatives Kate Lipper-Garabedian and Michael Day supported the departments' pursuit of the grant.

"I applaud our Departments in embracing new, holistic methods like the addition of a shared social worker to support de-escalation protocols and offer mental health resources," Lipper-Garabedian said.

Mike Carraggi can be reached at mike.carraggi@patch.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatchCarraggi