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Sleepy Hollow board approves MOU to join county diversion program for behavioral-health encounters
Summary
The Village of Sleepy Hollow authorized its police chief to sign a county diversion memorandum of understanding that lets officers divert people in mental-health or substance-use crisis into services rather than arresting them; trustees approved the no-cost agreement after discussion of training and data protections.
The Sleepy Hollow Village Board on Wednesday approved a memorandum of understanding allowing the village police department to participate in a county collaborative diversion program that routes some people with behavioral-health or substance-use crises into services instead of the criminal-justice system.
The police chief told trustees the MOU would give officers an alternative to arrest when they encounter people who are suffering mental-health crises, substance abuse issues or homelessness, and that the arrangement would not cost the village. “It will allow us to divert people that we come across that are either suffering about health crisis or substance abuse crisis or possibly homeless, and it'll allow us to divert them into a program rather than arrest them,” the chief said during his presentation.
Trustees discussed the proposal, and one trustee formally moved to authorize the chief to sign the MOU. The board took a roll-call vote and approved the motion with all trustees voting in favor.
Trustees said they welcomed the program’s alternatives to arrest but wanted legal review before final execution. The chief said the MOU is routed through the state's attorney’s office and that the village attorney would review any final paperwork. He also assured the board that the department would protect sensitive data: in response to a trustee question about sharing, the chief stated the department would not enable broad nationwide data sharing and that only a court order or warrant could compel data release.
The MOU follows training and intergovernmental exercises the chief highlighted at the meeting, including an active-shooter drill coordinated with dispatch, fire and EMS partners. Trustees noted the value of in-house training and welcomed the diversion tool as a complement to ongoing officer education.
The chief will execute the MOU after the attorney’s clearance. Trustees did not identify any direct budgetary impact from the agreement and said they would monitor implementation and outcomes.
