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Committee codifies Arrive Together alternative-response pilot, citing confidentiality and immunity protections
Summary
The committee voted to release S44 01 to permanently codify the Arrive Together pilot, which pairs law enforcement with mental-health providers for certain crisis responses; the Attorney General's Office said 9,000 interactions had produced zero injuries and emphasized HIPAA-aligned confidentiality and statutory immunity for providers.
The Senate Law and Public Safety Committee voted to release S44 01, a bill to permanently codify the Arrive Together alternative-response pilot that pairs law enforcement with mental-health providers for certain mental-health or substance-use crises.
Steve Finkel of the Attorney General's Office told the committee the program has operated in five flexible models chosen by municipalities — co-response, telehealth, immediate follow-up, delayed follow-up, and non-law-enforcement response — and is now active in all 21 counties. "In the nearly 9,000 interactions we've had with this program, there have been 0 injuries to police or community members," Finkel said, and he emphasized that the bill clarifies confidentiality of healthcare information and provides statutory immunity for participating mental-health providers.
Committee members asked about the models and availability of providers. Finkel said municipalities choose models that fit their needs, that telehealth and other variations are used in different jurisdictions, and that funding has been provided through the budget process and pilot grants. Members urged continued legislative funding and encouraged police departments to adopt the models that suit local circumstances.
The committee released the bill by roll call vote. Sponsors and the Attorney General's Office said codification will encourage more municipal participation and clarified that statutory immunity and HIPAA-consistent confidentiality are explicit elements of the proposed law.
Next steps: the bill was released from committee for further legislative consideration. Funding, model selection and local adoption decisions will remain with municipalities and the Department of Law and Public Safety.
