Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bartlesville to house therapist in police department after $200,000 DOJ grant
Summary
City staff told the council a two‑year U.S. Department of Justice grant of $200,000 will fund a therapist housed in the police department to provide crisis response, peer‑support oversight and family services; staff said the therapist will be integrated with the department and outcome tracking will begin.
City officials told the Bartlesville City Council that a two‑year, $200,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice will fund an embedded therapist at the police department, expanding the department's mental‑health and wellness services.
"We put into play a wellness visit for the police officer. So they go visit the psychologist every six months...and since that time we've been able to obtain a grant from the government to actually put a therapist in the police department," a police official said during the meeting.
Staff said the therapist will provide voluntary and mandatory counseling access for employees (including dispatch and records personnel), respond to critical incidents, strengthen peer‑support teams, provide crisis and trauma care and include family outreach when incidents affect households.
Officials described the program as a pilot funded for two years, with staff seeking further funding after the grant term ends. Council members asked whether outcomes will be tracked; staff said they are beginning to record data and will monitor indicators such as retention and post‑incident metrics over time.
The council welcomed the program, noting it aligns with broader trends in law‑enforcement wellness across the U.S. and represents a step beyond prior telehealth resources.
