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Pflugerville PD to station licensed mental‑health clinician seven days a week under state grant
Summary
Chief O'Malley told council the department received a state mental‑health outreach grant to assign a licensed clinician to the police department daily and to expand access to treatment beds through partnerships with Integral Care and Cross Creek.
At a March work session, Pflugerville Police Chief O'Malley described a state mental‑health outreach grant that will place a licensed clinician assigned to the police department seven days a week and expand the department's ability to triage mental‑health calls without an immediate sworn response.
"We are gonna have a licensed clinician that is assigned to our police department 7 days a week," Chief O'Malley said, describing the clinician's role in dispatcher triage and in reducing the need for uniformed officers to escalate mental‑health incidents.
Chief O'Malley said the city is still finalizing arrangements with state partners and local providers, including Integral Care and Cross Creek, the latter of which the chief said will provide dedicated inpatient beds for Pflugerville residents when the program is operational. That coordination is intended to reduce time officers spend calling hospitals to locate available beds and to provide a clearer clinical pathway for people in crisis.
Council members commended the effort during the work session. Chief O'Malley described the initiative as a multi‑agency effort that will require final approvals and implementation steps with the state and partner providers; she said the program is "in the works" and that staff are continuing negotiations and planning.
No formal council action was recorded on the grant during the meeting; the discussion was informational.
