Pitkin county public health, in partnership with aspen police department, snowmass village police department, and the pitkin county sheriffs office, seeks to strengthen law enforcement and mental…

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) awarded a $550,000 Project Grant under the Criminal and Juvenile Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (CFDA 16.745) to Pitkin County, Colorado. The grant funding will support the Pitkin Area Co-Responder Teams (PACT) project, which aims to strengthen law enforcement and mental health cross-system collaboration in Pitkin County. PACT will pair mental health professionals with law enforcement officers to co-respond to incidents involving individuals with mental health disorders or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. The project's goals are to reduce arrests, incarcerations, and repeat police calls for these individuals by connecting them to community-based mental health services and support. The PACT project will address service gaps and improve equitable access to culturally responsive mental health resources for historically underserved populations in the Pitkin County region. The grant award period is from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2027.

Pitkin county public health, in partnership with aspen police department, snowmass village police department, and the pitkin county sheriffs office, seeks to strengthen law enforcement and mental health cross-system collaboration through the pitkin area CO-responder teams (pact) project. Pact pairs mental health professionals with law enforcement officers to CO-respond to incidents involving individuals with mental health disorders (mhds) or CO-occurring mental health and substance use disorders (mhsuds) and provides outreach and follow-up to help DE-criminalize mental illness by reducing arrests, incarcerations, and repeat police calls for individuals in need of community-based services and mental health support inpitkin county, colorado (population 16,876). With BJA grant funds, the pact team will plan and implement strategies to reduce the risk of harm and health risks to individuals mhds or CO-occurring mhsuds who make contact with law enforcement; reduce recidivism among individuals with mhds and mhsuds through connection with behavioral health services and case management; and share data to inform improvements to equitable access to culturally responsive mental health services and substance use disorder treatment resources for all pitkin county residents, workers, and visitors. The proposed pact project will addresspriority area 1ABY addressing inequities and contributing to better access to mental health services for historically underserved communities, including the hispanic and latino population, unhoused individuals, formerly incarcerated individuals, and rural populations. Pact will address the programmatic priority areas underpriority area 2. The pact strategic planning effort will evaluate effective strategies to strengthen law enforcement's capacity to identify and reduce the risk of harm to individuals with mhds or CO-occurring mhsuds who encounter law enforcement and improve public safety. The plan will propose interventions that have been shown by empirical evidence to reduce recidivism. There are no planned conference activities for the recommended award.