The Bryan police department has announced the activity in the first three months of a new mental health unit.
Officer Kole Taylor says this is the result of an increase of police interactions with citizens who have mental illnesses.
In the first three months, the unit has responded to 112 calls for service, completed 73 home visits and made 191 telephone follow up visits.
Three officers have a full time assignment with the mental health unit, 30 more officers have been through mental health peace officer training, and the rest of the force has training in de-escalating mental health situations.
Click below for comments from Kole Taylor, visiting with WTAW’s Bill Oliver:
Listen to “Bryan police department announces early results of a new mental health unit” on Spreaker.
 
News release from the Bryan police department:
In an effort to meet community needs, the Bryan Police Department formed a Mental Health Unit in April of 2021. Across the country, there has been a significant increase in the awareness of law enforcement interactions with people suffering from mental illness. These interactions often turn violent based on a lack of trust from the mental health consumer with law enforcement. The Mental Health Unit officers have obtained extensive training and are equipped to deescalate a situation to prevent a violent confrontation between a mental health consumer and law enforcement. Our officers work collaboratively with the community and local Mental Health Authorities to divert people in mental health crisis from jails to behavioral treatment facilities.
The unit is comprised of three officers who have received specific training on how to help people who may be experiencing a mental health crisis. Mental Health Unit officers respond to call for service that directly involve mental health consumers in crisis. Additionally, these officers build a bond with mental health consumers through occasional home visits and follow-up phone contacts. During these contacts officers will ensure mental health consumers are not in crisis, make scheduled doctor’s visits, and are taking prescribed medications. Our hope is by taking a proactive approach we can reduce the number of police interactions with mental health consumers in our community who are in crisis.
Because there are only three officers assigned to the Mental Health Unit, and they will not be working 24 hours, 7 days a week, the Bryan Police Department also provided Mental Health Peace Officer training to 30 additional officers. This training focused on recognition of persons in crisis, communication skills, and de-escalation techniques. We anticipate these officers will be able to provide a more in-depth response to mental health calls when the Mental Health Unit is not available.
To date, the Mental Health Unit has responded to 112 calls for service involving mental health consumers in crisis. They have completed 73 home visits and conducted 191 follow-up phone contacts.