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Police chief asks council to pursue mental-health co-responder position
Summary
The police chief told the Shamokin council the department is pursuing a co-responder to handle crisis calls, estimated at about $125,000 a year, and said staff are seeking grants to fund the position and will meet soon with program leaders.
The police chief told the Shamokin City Council that the department is pursuing a mental-health co-responder to be assigned to the police station to help on crisis calls, overdoses and domestic-violence incidents and to assist with related paperwork. "The need in our area is unreal," the chief said, pressing the urgency for an on-site responder.
The chief estimated the co-responder position would cost about $125,000 a year but said multiple grants are available and that city staff — including a point person named Betsy — are working to identify funding. He said a meeting with the program manager will be set in the near future to determine eligibility and next steps.
Council members and staff described the role as one that could stabilize crisis scenes, provide transport when appropriate and reduce burdens on patrol officers by placing a behavioral-health specialist into the response workflow. The police chief said the co-responder would "basically" take certain responsibilities "out of the equation" once a scene is safe, handling follow-up and paperwork.
The chief did not present a specific funding source the council must approve; instead he said staff will seek grant support to avoid a recurring local appropriation. The council did not take a formal vote on creating the position during the meeting; the chief described the discussion as planning and outreach toward grant-funded implementation.
