When a person is experiencing a mental health crisis, a call for help can bring law enforcement to the door. But in Fulton County, a new team is giving deputies another option before someone ends up in jail.
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The county’s Co-Responder, or CoRe, unit pairs Fulton County sheriff’s deputies with licensed behavioral health clinicians to respond to people experiencing mental health crises.
Channel 2’s Brittany Kleinpeter rode along with the team to see how the program works and where that response can lead.
When Deputy Stephen Johnson and behavioral health clinician Tuere Williams get a call, they don’t always know what they are walking into. But they arrive with two different sets of tools: law enforcement training and a background in behavioral health.
“I think everyone needs someone to listen to and someone who needs direction,” Johnson said.
For Williams, the goal is to determine what help a person needs and whether there is an alternative to jail.
“They’re not being arrested for mental health issues or substance abuse issues,” Williams said.
The pilot program launched in May and is designed to give the team more time to work with someone experiencing a crisis.
“They’re not just onto the next call because another came in,” said Africa Cotton, a program manager with Fulton County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. “They’re there meeting with that person, meeting them where they are.”
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In some cases, that can mean connecting someone with mental health treatment, medical care, or other community resources. In others, simply talking through the situation can help.
“A lot of times they don’t even have to go to the hospital,” Capt. Andre Hudson, with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, said. “A lot of times a small conversation goes a long way.”
During the program’s first four months, the CORE unit responded to more than 500 calls and connected more than 100 people with treatment or support services.
For Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat, the mission is also personal.
“I’ve had family members that have gone through mental health concerns and have had opportunities to get better because they’ve had exposure to the right kind of treatment,” Labat said.
“We want to make sure our community understands that our hearts are bigger than our badges,” he added.
The program does not mean every call ends without an arrest. When it is safe and appropriate, however, the team can connect someone with services rather than taking them to jail.
The Fulton County Behavioral Health Center is one place where someone experiencing a crisis can be taken for treatment.
The CORE program currently operates in six cities across South Fulton. The sheriff’s office says it hopes to eventually expand the program countywide.
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