Meet the Champions team, an alternative response to mental health police calls in OKC

A new mobile crisis team is available to Oklahoma City police responding to mental health calls, bringing a licensed therapist, case manager and other resources directly to the person in need.

The Champions team, funded by a federal grant, is a pilot program coordinating with the Oklahoma City Police Department's Springlake division to respond to some mental health-related calls. Members of the team, created by the local mental health clinic NorthCare,say over time it will reduce pressure on the police and connect more Oklahoma City residents with the help they need.

Local advocates of police reform and justice reform have notably asked for a city-funded alternative to police response to mental health calls since summer 2020. Though funded by its own grant, Champions is the first such mobile crisis team to work directly with the Oklahoma City Police Department. The onset of the 988 helpline has brought more mobile crisis teams online, and the city of Oklahoma City hopes to fund a team to respond to low-risk 911 calls involving homeless individuals starting this fall.

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For now, officers contact Champions when they arrive to a scene where they think mental health professionals would be better suited to respond. Connie Schlittler, NorthCare's vice president of growth, said she always has envisioned the team responding without police. That model would look more like Eugene, Oregon's Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets, CAHOOTS, or Denver's Support Team Assisted Response, STAR, where mobile teams are dispatched directly by 911.

CAHOOTS is a 33-year partnership between the White Bird Clinic and the Eugene Police Department. In 2017, CAHOOTS answered 17% of all Eugene's calls to police, and the program saves the city about $8.5 million in public safety spending each year.

Since January, Champions has responded to nearly 200 calls. The team has requested police return to a scene only once.

Champions clinical supervisor and licensed therapist Derek Lemaster said people in crisis are open to getting help; they just don't always know what's available or where to find it.

"We're able to come and be that person to say, 'Hey, there are people here that care about you .... and now we can take you right now to help you get connected to the services that can help you long term,'" Lemaster said.

What happens when the Champions team responds to a call?

With a home base just east of the OKC Fairgrounds at May Avenue and General Pershing Boulevard, the Champions team is ready to respond to a call from the police department. Their mobile unit is a white van, with NorthCare's emblem on the side, stocked with an ice chest of water and some snacks.

On the scene, both police officers and the Champions team assess safety of the responders and the individual, including thoughts of suicide or hurting themselves. The police officers can leave once they deem the situation safe. Lemaster said the team has not had any injuries.

Then, crisis intervention begins.

"That looks a lot like validating the individual in their situation ... assessing for any kind of resource needs, and really getting a clearer picture of their mental status, their history of mental health care and letting them know that there are services that are available," Lemaster said. "And really helping come alongside that individual and being a partner with them in their own mental health recovery."

More:OKC is seeking proposals for civilian responders to 911 calls involving the homeless

In some cases, the person agrees to be taken somewhere like a hospital, treatment center or shelter. Kaitlynn Wilkinson, training coordinator, said transportation is one of the "biggest barriers" facing their clients. Champions is providing transportation directly or transportation assistance, like bus passes, to more than half of the clients they've served so far.

Sometimes, the person isn't ready to receive services that day, but the team will follow up with them in an effort to gain their trust.

"When individuals have been in this same cycle for so long, with the lack of resources and a lack of community response in these situations, it's not that they aren't open (to help), it just feels different," Lemaster said.

Why is a team like Champions needed in Oklahoma City?

In 2021, Oklahoma City police were dispatched to more than 21,000 calls categorized under mental crisis. Just over 700 of those were suicide related.

The police department started tracking those calls by division in 2022. The Springlake division, which Champions primarily works with right now, has accounted for 30% of the more than 9,000 mental crisis calls this year.

Capt. Paul Fredrickson, with the Springlake division, said he thinks the Champions program is working well and that he hopes an awareness about Champions' work will mean people don't wait as long to ask for help.

"Calling the police is like pulling a fire alarm," Fredrickson said. "It's like the last ditch (effort) … But with an alternative mental health response, maybe that family member would have called for mental health help sooner and put processes in place."

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According to Oklahoma City police data, less than 1% of mental crisis calls resulted in the person going to jail in 2021. In 60% of the calls, the person was not taken into custody at all, and 39% of calls resulted in the person going to a hospital or treatment center.

Nancy Reed, Champions operations director, said Champions allows for a less traumatic experience for those seeking help.

"It's really different riding in the van with the Champions team when someone's willing to go to the hospital, than it is being cuffed in the back of a police car," Reed said.

Capt. Fredrickson also said Champions' ability to follow up with clients — something police don't have the capacity to do — will be key in improving the care provided for those in mental health crisis.

"Our mission is to provide police service," Fredrickson said. "We want to catch offenders, we want to bring them to justice, we want to investigate crimes, we want to quell disturbances and bring peace to crisis. But that next step of providing long-term mental health care, benefits, resources, that's just not the mandate for the police department."

In addition to their work with the police department, Champions has been tasked with responding to some calls made to the new 988 mental health helpline. Since its inception in Oklahoma on July 5, Champions has been dispatched to 23 calls by the 988 call center.

Champions team expected to grow

As the program grows and gains experience, Champions may eventually move past a co-response model and dispatch without police. For now, NorthCare's Schlittler said the police department is most comfortable assessing scenes before bringing in the team.

As the city of Oklahoma City looks at funding its own pilot programs for police alternatives to homeless and mental health calls, some city councilors and local activists oppose a model that responds with police.

Reed, Champions operations director, said even if Champions moves to being directly dispatched by 911, the team will always be available to police.

"I can't ever foresee a time that we would go, 'Officers, don't call us if you need us,'" Reed said. "I think that's really important for our officers ... to be able to get us out there right then, while that person is in crisis, and we're able to help stabilize it."

When presented with the opportunity to lead the Champions team, Lemaster said there was some hesitancy at first due to the many unknowns.

But Lemaster said it's something he and so many others have been waiting for.

"This is something that has been needed in Oklahoma for so long," Lemaster said. "It's been kind of a passion that has burned inside of me personally. And I've sat around family conversations, things like that, talking about this passion and this need … This is my chance to actually do something about it."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC's new alternative response to police for mental health calls