Bartlesville police seek to address mental health issues with launch of new program

A new mental health response unit is in the works at the Bartlesville Police Department through a three-year pilot program pairing police officers with social workers who will work together full time.

The program will involve two BPD officers and two Grand Lake Mental Health social workers who will not be assigned to patrol a specific area, but rather respond to calls that involve mental health crises.

BPD Capt. Kevin Ickleberry said the program is a more permanent solution to the currently cyclical process of individuals needing help and only receiving short-term resources.

“We’re trying to provide a service we haven’t before, and that’s for the people who fall in the gap who aren’t criminals, haven’t committed crimes, that are just in a really bad spot emotionally, mentally and physically,” Ickleberry said. “It’s kind of a wrap-around service. Our concern is to try to provide services, provide help to people when they need it and help keep them on track.”

More: Proposed Bartlesville City budget: Here are major takeaways

The officers involved in the program will undergo the state’s 40-hour Crisis Intervention Training course as well as additional mental health response training one day a month — totaling 96 hours a year of mental health training, Ickleberry said.

The co-response units will respond to a variety of situations. While the officer will ensure the safety of those involved, the social worker will assist with connecting the individual with temporary housing, obtaining protective orders, addiction treatment and a variety of other services through local organizations.

Ickleberry said it will allow officers and social workers to more easily follow up on situations, which does not always happen.

“We just want to make sure we’re trying to do everything we can so no one falls through the cracks. We also believe the crimes we sometimes put mental health persons in jail for are secondary to the main issue, which is mental health. We want to try and address the primary cause of their problems,” he said.

More: Police Memorial: Remembering those who vow to protect and serve

GLMH Public Relations Director Brad Gibson said he could not yet comment on the program as the center is still in the planning process.

The program is being modeled after similar ones in Ft. Collins, Colorado and Edmond, Oklahoma.

During a May 23 meeting, Bartlesville City Manager Mike Bailey proposed the possibility of spending $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding on the program, which will cover the salaries of the officers and social workers, among other things.

The council will consider, and possibly vote, on the matter in its Monday meeting.

In the May 23 meeting, Bailey said mental health-related issues make up more than half of BPD’s calls.

“This allows us to address that in a proactive manner and connect those people with resources they may need to prevent that from recurring,” Bailey said. “(The co-response units) could be dealing with drug addiction, they could be dealing with domestic situations. There’s a whole lot.”

While the pilot program is set for a three-year run, Bailey said he expects there will be opportunities for grant funding for it to continue beyond that time.

Ickleberry said the program’s timeline is “fluid” and depends on how resources come together. It could be in place as soon as fall, but he hopes to start it no later than Jan. 1. BPD will select two seasoned officers for the program, hiring two new officers to take their place.

“What’s going to take us a little bit of time is the mental health professional and the officer riding together is going to take a special fit. We want to make sure we get the right people doing the job together, because it does take a partnership,” Icleberry said.

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Bartlesville police to launch program to address mental health issues