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Lee's Summit police outline co-responder program to connect people in crisis with behavioral health care
Summary
Lee's Summit police described a co-responder program that pairs officers with licensed mental health professionals who respond to crisis calls, aim to de-escalate situations and divert people from emergency rooms and jails.
Lee's Summit police described a co-responder program that pairs specially trained officers with licensed mental health professionals to respond directly to crisis calls, provide on-scene safety planning and connect people to follow-up services.
The city presentation emphasized rising mental-health related calls: “In 2020, we had 722 mental health related calls for service. 2022, by that time, 1,479,” a police presenter said, citing the department's call data to illustrate demand for the program. The presenters said the program’s goals are to de-escalate crises and reduce emergency-room and jail referrals.
A co-responder who identified herself as Allison, a licensed behavioral health professional embedded in the police department, described how the team operates. Allison said co-responders are typically bachelor’s- or master’s-level clinicians who wear plain clothes and do not carry weapons. “Like, my name’s Allison. I’m a mental health professional. I’m here to help you. I’m not here to take you to jail or arrest you,” she said.
Speakers described common on-scene interventions: brief safety planning with family or support networks, securing medications or sharps, arranging urgent-care psychiatric assessments, and checking back with clients within hours when appropriate. Allison offered an anecdote of a person reporting suicidal ideation who received follow-up calls and was connected to weekly services.
Staff and presenters said the co-responder program can be requested by callers by asking for a co-responder when calling 911; they also said some co-responders self-dispatch or are called by officers after the scene is secured. The presenters framed the program as one element of a broader effort to change how residents view police response to behavioral health needs.
The presentation did not include a detailed budget or staffing table in the recorded remarks; those specifics were not specified in the briefing.
