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Monrovia’s SGB Care team reports outreach success, wins county community-policing award
Summary
The San Gabriel Valley Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement (SGB Care) team reported reduced arrests related to homelessness and mental-health calls, described multi-disciplinary follow-up services and announced the team will receive the LA County Peace Officers Association Centurion Award for team excellence in community policing.
Monrovia police and community-policing staff updated the City Council on the city’s SGB Care team (San Gabriel Valley Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement) on Sept. 16 and reported the program’s regional role, local outcomes and recent recognition.
Police Captain John Doncic described the program’s mission and staffing and said it provides “alternative 9-1-1 responses to non violent mental health, behavioral crises, and substance abuse crises.” He said the Monrovia team operates out of the Community Policing Bureau and includes officers, a school resource officer, a substance abuse counselor, and licensed clinical social workers.
Doncic gave preliminary program statistics covering roughly 18 months: 367 unique individuals encountered in Monrovia, nearly 400 follow-ups, and about 174 provided follow-up resources (housing, mental-health and substance-use referrals and basic-needs assistance). He said the multidisciplinary approach has “drastically reduced the number of arrests related to homelessness or mental health commitments by double digits since its inception.”
Doncic also announced an award: “I’m very proud to announce that the community policing term in SGB care team is the current recipient of the Los Angeles County Peace Officers Association Centurion Award for team excellence in community policing,” he said; the award will be presented next month on the USC campus.
Council members and other speakers praised the program’s outreach, follow-up and the team’s willingness to accompany residents to appointments and community supports. No formal council action was required.
Staff noted SGB Care is funded regionally through the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments and that Monrovia has secured funding for at least three more years. Council members discussed possibilities for expanded hours and shared teams across neighboring cities.
