NRVCS co‑response team pairs clinician with officers to handle higher‑risk mental‑health calls

New River Valley Community Services (NRVCS) presented its co‑response program to the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Commission at the commission’s January meeting, describing a model that pairs a clinician with a police officer to respond to moderate and high‑risk mental‑health calls.

NRVCS co‑response coordinator and law enforcement liaison Joey Thacker told the commission the program began July 1 and that the county’s co‑response teams have answered “over 240 calls” in roughly six months. "We have a 10.5% ECO rate," Thacker said, referring to emergency custody orders; he said the program has reduced the proportion of mental‑health calls that result in ECOs and has saved “high 200s, low 300 hours” of responder manpower.

Thacker said the co‑response model implements parts of the Virginia Marcus Alert framework created by state code sections 37.2 and 9.1. Under the local triage system he described, dispatch categorizes calls as levels 1–4: level 1 and some level 2 calls are routed to the 988 suicide prevention line or mobile crisis teams; level 3 calls — defined in the training as active psychosis or significant risk but not an immediate weapon threat — are dispatched to co‑response teams; level 4 calls continue to receive a traditional police response.

Thacker said NRVCS and local partners adopted a ride‑along model in which a clinician and a police officer operate as a dedicated team. He named the officers assigned to the Montgomery County area teams as Shannon Combs (Blacksburg Police Department), Victor Campos (Christiansburg Police Department), West Osborne (Montgomery County), and Jared Reese (Virginia Tech); he said those officers have countywide jurisdiction under existing agreements.

"The good thing is it's gonna pair a clinician from NRVCS with a police officer, and they're gonna be able to answer calls together," Thacker said. He described dispatch training that uses an Emergency Medical Dispatch–style triage and said NRV 911 will transfer certain calls to 988 or to mobile crisis teams; co‑response will be dispatched to level 3 calls and may back up level 4 responses as needed.

Thacker described the team schedule as two overlapping shifts covering 14 hours a day, with NRVCS and Virginia Tech rotating coverage with Montgomery County; he said the program is evaluating whether to extend coverage later into the overnight period because "I think we're missing some calls from midnight to 2 a.m." The clinicians work in plain clothes while officers are in uniform; Thacker said the team aims to prioritize voluntary crisis‑center referrals over emergency department transports when clinically appropriate.

Thacker offered training for firefighters and rescue squad members, saying the full training takes about 50–60 minutes and that he and a colleague are available for follow up. He provided his contact information during the meeting for departments that want on‑site training or to request co‑response during incidents.

Commissioners and staff asked how on‑scene personnel can request co‑response if they arrive first; Thacker said officers or rescue personnel already on scene can call dispatch to request the co‑response team if coverage is available.

The presentation was for information and planning; the commission did not take any formal vote on the program at the meeting. Thacker and commissioners said the program will continue to refine scheduling and coordination with NRV 911 and mobile crisis teams.

The commission asked for department training so line personnel better understand triage levels, 988 and mobile crisis roles, and when to request co‑response assistance.

(Disclosure: direct quotes in this article come from Joey Thacker, co‑response coordinator and law enforcement liaison, New River Valley Community Services.)