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Longview council approves grant-funded mental-health hires and COPS grant to expand multidisciplinary response
Summary
The council approved a grant-funded memorandum of understanding to place two qualified mental-health professionals with the city's multidisciplinary response team and accepted a $250,000 COPS grant to expand the city's POST unit from two to four officers, aiming to improve crisis response and reduce emergency-room and jail diversions.
The Longview City Council on Oct. 23 approved a memorandum of understanding with Community Health Corps to place two grant-funded, qualified mental-health professionals with the city's Partners in Alternative Community Care (PACK) team and accepted a separate $250,000 U.S. Department of Justice COPS Hiring Program grant to expand the city's POST community-response unit.
Laura Hill, a city staff member who presented the MOU, said the Community Health Corps has been "loaning us a person at their expense to work out all the kinks," and the MOU will "solidify that arrangement and allow it to expand." The MOU was presented as fully grant funded; the council approved it by voice vote.
Chief Boone, who presented the COPS grant and budget amendment, described POST's work since its January 2018 start. He said POST currently has two officers who…
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