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Claremont council unanimously adopts Tri City mobile crisis MOU after months of public pressure
Summary
After weeks of community calls for accountability following the death of Diego Rios, the Claremont City Council unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding with Tri City Mental Health to formalize 24/7 mobile crisis-team support, staffing coordination, and data-sharing protocols; the agreement will be revisited as a living document.
Claremont's City Council voted unanimously to approve a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Tri City Mental Health Authority that formalizes the city's use of a 24/7 mobile crisis-care team alongside police responses.
The MOU, presented by Chief Cizek and Tri City director Austin Placide, sets out "client-centered" guiding principles and specifies roles: the Claremont Police Department remains the primary public-safety responder for immediate threats and scene stabilization, and Tri City will provide crisis screening, clinical assessment and in-person mobile response when available.
Mayor Stark described the agreement as a significant enhancement to the city's existing crisis response, calling it a step forward from prior, limited programs. Chief Cizek summarized the document as prioritizing compassionate, culturally competent responses and clear referral pathways among police, city staff and Tri City clinicians.
Tri City director Austin Placide told the council the organization currently staffs a hybrid model that relies on a pool of clinicians for on-call coverage and aims to expand teams to improve 24/7 reliability. Placide said the model uses triage tools (MCAT) to prioritize calls and that Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health serves as a backup when Tri City is unavailable.
The vote came after a lengthy public-comment period in which multiple speakers, including family members and community members, raised the death of Diego Rios and urged faster, clearer crisis-team deployment and independent review of officer conduct. One commenter said the family's experience showed "this was not just a system's failure. This was an individual failure, a failure in hiring practices." The council did not take disciplinary action as part of the MOU vote; city staff reiterated that independent county investigations are ongoing.
Councilmembers emphasized that the MOU is intended to be a living document: staff and Tri City will develop operational metrics, return with updates, and adjust practices in response to experience and updated SAMHSA guidance. The council also asked for clearer training and dispatch protocols so that the mobile crisis team is contacted earlier in calls involving behavioral health.
The MOU was moved, seconded, and approved by roll call with unanimous support.
The agreement requires Tri City and city staff to coordinate on dispatch screening, scene safety, information sharing consistent with privacy laws, transportation assistance when clinically necessary, and ongoing performance data that the council said it expects to review at least annually.
The council also requested public follow-up on staffing targets and on how dispatchers will integrate the 988 system and local hotlines with Tri City referrals.
The council did not modify police personnel actions during the vote; separate investigatory and accountability processes remain underway. The council said it expects to receive reports on MOU implementation and agreed the document could be revised between formal renewals as experience and best practices evolve.
