Councilors press police on choice of Helio Health for officer training and crisis evaluations
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Summary
Deputy Chief Tom asked the council to approve agreements with Helio Health for officer wellness training and crisis-evaluation services; councilors raised concerns about the vendor's reputation and capacity and asked for clarifications on RFP results and service specifics.
Deputy Chief Tom (Syracuse Police Department) presented two items asking the council to enter agreements with Helio Health for wellness training (item 24) and crisis-evaluation services (item 25) for officers, covering training for command staff and peer-support teams and on-call evaluators for officers in crisis.
"HelioHealth provided a better a better, more comprehensive service," the deputy chief said, describing Helio as having a larger training library and the ability to dedicate specific evaluators. He said the department had an established working relationship with the vendor and judged them the most cost-effective proposer in the city's RFP process.
Several councilors pushed back. One said she had "reservations about HelioHealth" and questioned whether the provider's reputation in other service areas suggested capacity problems or mission creep. "They've also, just speaking on the housing aspect, they've also entered that arena as far as wrap around services, and they've done a terrible job at that," a councilor said.
The deputy chief said the selected HelioHealth staff who would work with officers are distinct from field staff and that the department had specifically considered conflicts of interest. He added that Helio would provide phone consultation and in-person response if situations escalate. The council also discussed the earlier severed relationship with an evaluator and the administration's decision to separate evaluation functions from treatment functions.
Councilors asked who served on the RFP evaluation committee and whether local providers had adequate capacity. The deputy chief said that another local applicant (Comseas) could not dedicate full-time clinicians and that some bids were virtual. He reiterated that the decision was based on capacity and match to the city's requirements.
The council did not vote on the contract during the study session and asked for more detail on the RFP responses, the specific trainers and evaluators proposed, and any staff-dedication commitments before formal authorization.
