Our co-responder center builds on two measures passed by the Georgia General Assembly and signed by Gov. Brian Kemp earlier this year. The legislation is meant to prevent jails from becoming hospitals of last resort.

HB 1013, called the Mental Health Parity Act, brought sweeping changes to the treatment of mental health and substance abuse, including permitting police to seek involuntary commitment for mental health or substance abuse calls.

SB 403, the Georgia Behavioral and Peace Officer Co-Responder Act, require3s community service boards to establish a co-responder program to offer assistance or consultation to police responding to behavioral health assistance calls.

Our Co-Responder model of criminal justice diversion consists of two-person teams, comprised of a law enforcement officer and a licensed behavioral specialist to intervene on behavioral and mental-health related police calls to de-escalate situations that have historically resulted in arrest and to assess whether the person should be referred for an immediate behavioral and mental-health assessment as opposed to immediate incarceration.

The Atlanta Police Department routinely respond to suicide attempts, drug overdoses, homelessness or mental health crisis. Our co-responder program is especially effective for serving community members with intensive behavioral health needs. Implementation of our co-responder program will be a force multiplier for our Atlanta
Police Department. As it will allow them to immediately connect individuals experiencing behavioral health crisis with services that can help them; lessening the burden on the criminal justice system and local hospital emergency departments.

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Officers get back in service quicker when a co-responder is present to offer assistance  and services.
 

Our clinicians will be responsible for behavioral health evaluations and crisis intervention, along with signing a certificate authorizing transport to an emergency receiving facility.
 

Our co-responder center is open 24 hours and provides every Atlanta Police Officer the opportunity to attend our 40-hour Crisis Intervention Training and 8-hour Mental First Aid class. Our officers can attend training or class, either virtually or in person.