Irving Police Launch Mental Health Response Team

IRVING, TX -- The Irving Police Department is launching a new mental health response team. Under the guidance of the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute’s Caruth Smart Justice Program, the department created the team consisting of three specially trained officers and a mental health professional. These people will provide "a comprehensive response to calls involving behavioral health emergencies as well as outreach and follow-up calls as necessary," the department said in a news release.

"As behavioral health emergency detentions continued to increase, the Irving Police Department recognized the need for a better approach to handling mental health calls and providing services to individuals in need of mental health care," the department added.

The Irving Police Department established the first police-led behavioral health leadership team in Texas. The North Texas Behavioral Health Authority will also provide a jail navigator/care coordinator assigned to Irving. These initiatives will shift the response to persons with behavioral health care needs from law enforcement to the medical community.

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