The Marion Police Department will soon have a crisis counselor embedded within the department.
During its Thursday night meeting, the Marion City Council voted unanimously to approve the agreement between the department and Foundation 2 Crisis Services for the law enforcement liaison. Foundation 2 is a nonprofit human services agency that offers mobile crisis services.
The crisis counselor will work with police officers on intervention regarding mental health-related calls to help with de-escalation and to assess where individuals should be referred for treatment and follow up services.
According to a department news release, the anticipated benefits of the new arrangement include a reduction in officer time spent responding to mental health-related calls, diverting individuals with mental health concerns from jail to behavioral health treatment, onsite consultation for officers regarding community interactions related to mental health, a reduction in officer’s use of force by utilizing alternative techniques and an increase in