County consultant recommends co-responder model pairing CIT-trained officers with clinicians after 9-1-1 survey
Loading...
Summary
A consultant for Cumberland County recommended a co-responder model that pairs Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) trained law enforcement with behavioral-health clinicians, based on community and public-safety surveys that flagged governance, staffing and service-quality as key concerns.
Moira Muir, a principal at HMA, told the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 12 that a co-responder model pairing CIT-trained law enforcement and behavioral‑health clinicians is the recommended approach for the county’s mobile crisis response.
The recommendation followed two surveys conducted in January: a public-facing survey with 348 responses and a separate survey for public‑safety personnel with 73 responses. “We had 348 responses, which is pretty pretty great for surveys,” Communications Director Diane Rice said, and reported that more than 75% of public respondents called an efficient, unified 9‑1‑1 system “very important.” Muir said the public‑safety respondents prioritized staffing, training, technology upgrades and interoperability.
Why it matters: Commissioners and staff said Cumberland County’s demographic mix — including a high concentration of active‑duty military and veterans — strengthens the case for a co‑responder approach. Muir cited national data showing reductions in arrests, emergency‑department visits and use of force where co‑responder teams are deployed and urged a phased local rollout tied to dispatch data to size clinician staffing and deployment.
What the consultants proposed: HMA outlined a model in which a CIT‑trained officer works alongside a master’s‑level clinician to respond to behavioral‑health, substance‑use or homelessness‑related 9‑1‑1 calls. The consulting team recommended a phased implementation that could begin with shared clinician models across multiple jurisdictions and aim for an initial target of roughly 15–25% of officers completing CIT training.
Concerns and caveats: Written survey responses were “pretty polarized,” Rice said, with governance and leadership structure repeatedly cited as public concerns. Commissioners asked how a county program would fit into local incident command structures and noted the sheriff’s constitutional authority over county law enforcement as a necessary point of coordination. Vice Chairwoman Jones noted that military police have jurisdiction only on Fort Bragg and urged staff to factor Fort Bragg’s arrangements into planning.
Next steps: Muir advised analyzing 9‑1‑1 dispatch codes to quantify behavioral‑health call volumes and inform staffing and phased implementation. Staff said a more detailed implementation plan and cost options — including how the model could be linked to 9‑1‑1 operations — would be presented at an upcoming work session and future agenda items.
