Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Mental Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Wheat Ridge approves MOU to join Jefferson County community crisis response pilot
Summary
The City of Wheat Ridge voted to approve a memorandum of understanding to participate in a Jefferson County pilot that pairs licensed mental health clinicians with EMS personnel; the pilot runs through January 2026 and is described as having no cost to the city.
The Wheat Ridge City Council voted unanimously April 14 to approve a memorandum of understanding enabling the city to participate in a Jefferson County community crisis response pilot program that pairs licensed mental health clinicians with EMS personnel.
The pilot is intended to supplement Wheat Ridge’s existing co-responder program by routing mental-health–focused calls to clinician-EMS teams and requiring police response only when necessary. Division Chief Kellogg, who gave the staff presentation, said, “The program itself, pairs licensed mental health clinicians with EMS personnel,” and added the pilot runs through January 2026 and “there’s no cost.”
Council members said they supported the approach as a way to increase mental-health support in the field while freeing police to focus on law-enforcement duties. Councilor Hoppe asked about related efforts and noted the city’s “blue envelope” program for residents with communication or other needs; Kellogg said the envelopes have seen strong uptake and the department ordered more after the first 70 were claimed.
The council debated no changes to the proposed memorandum and approved the resolution by roll call. Councilor Snow moved to adopt resolution number 20-2025; Councilor Hoppe seconded. The clerk recorded the motion as carried with all voting in favor.
The memorandum of understanding documents mission, purpose and protocols for the pilot and will be in place while West Metro Fire District evaluates continuation after January 2026. City staff described the arrangement as a short-term, no-cost participation that would increase access to licensed clinicians during crisis incidents and allow police and medical responders to focus on tasks aligned with their training.
