Brownsburg Police expand crisis-intervention team after rising mental-health calls

Brownsburg Police Department officials reported March 11 that a crisis-intervention team created in late 2023 now includes 14 shift officers and one traffic officer trained to respond to mental-health crises and related calls for service.

Major Andy Watts told the Police Commission the initial training is a 40-hour classroom course with role-playing, and officers also have the option to complete a four-hour observation at a hospital or mental-health facility. The department’s goal, Watts said, is to expand certification so the entire agency can respond effectively to these calls.

Watts described one call on Feb. 8 in which PMB shift officers responded to a person locked in a bathroom who was cutting themselves. Officer Elcyana Crosby — one of the department’s crisis-intervention response officers — negotiated with the person and the subject relinquished the weapon. The person was attended to by Brownsburg medics and transported to a medical facility.

The department reported responding to 117 mental-health calls in 2024. So far in 2025, through February, officers have responded to 18 mental-health calls; Watts characterized the frequency as increasing and said the unit helps ensure people experiencing crises receive appropriate care rather than only law-enforcement response.

Watts said the county coordinates training updates and that Captain Clare (department enforcement) works with county coordinator Evan Love on annual training and legal updates related to emergency detentions. He noted training is not inexpensive but that the department supports officers who apply for it.

Commissioners did not take formal action on this item; the presentation was informational and focused on training, staffing and call-volume trends.