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OLO report urges Montgomery County to expand crisis‑call capacity and formalize 988/911 interoperability
Summary
An Office of Legislative Oversight review found uneven routing, limited direct transfer lines, and inconsistent data collection across five mental‑health call centers; OLO recommended capacity increases at the crisis center, formal transfer protocols, and better demographic tracking.
The Office of Legislative Oversight told Montgomery County councilmembers that the county’s mental‑health crisis response system relies on five different call‑center entities with inconsistent protocols and limited formal interoperability.
"This report responds to the council's request to examine similarities and differences in protocols and responses across county call center entities," Gabriela Reynolds of OLO said in a presentation to the joint Public Safety and Health and Human Services committees. OLO identified the crisis center/Scribe, 988 (EveryMind), the county crisis hotline, 911/ECC, and 311 as the core entities that make up the county’s crisis call network. The report found that some entities lack direct transfer lines to 911 or 988 and that formal protocols for when to transfer calls are not universally in place.
OLO recommended three near‑term priorities: explore options to increase the crisis center’s call‑taking capacity (including technology upgrades), develop formal interoperability and transfer protocols among call centers, and improve demographic and outcome data collection so county leaders can target investments. "There's no shared formal protocols in place across entities," OLO staff said, noting model jurisdictions use both direct transfer lines and written agreements.
The report also highlighted differing modalities (phone, text, chat) and backup routing arrangements; 988 supports text and chat statewide while some county hotlines remain phone‑only. OLO emphasized that improved cross‑training, colocating mental‑health call takers with 911, and hiring peers with lived experience could reduce reliance on law enforcement for non‑violent crises. The committees pressed OLO and executive staff on timelines for MOUs and technical upgrades; OLO said the recommendations are intended to guide those next steps.
