AgdaPkt 2021.01.25 Amended Joint SA PFA

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7.A. - Page 2 of 18 In Redwood City's community engagement regarding racial equity and policing in 2020, many residents called upon the City to consider alternative service delivery models, particularly related to calls involving individuals experiencing mental health crisis Developing such models is challenging for mid-size cities such as Redwood City, as cities do not typically employ mental health professionals and sharing the cost of a new service with other entities is cost-efficient, a particularly important consideration in light of contracting revenues. City staff contacted the County and other cities to assess their interest in a multi -agency collaboration for responding to calls involving those in mental health crisis. The cities of Daly City, San Mateo, and South San Francisco expressed interest in developing a new model in partnership with Redwood City and the County. Recognizing the importance of having an independent assessment of program effectiveness, Redwood City staff encouraged partner agencies to work with the John Gardner Center for Youth and their Communities at Stanford University to establish research measures and report on program effectiveness. Redwood City staff shared periodic updates on this effort through the summer and fall. The City Council's Ad Hoc Committee on Policing recommended participation in the pilot program at the October S, 2020 study session on Racial Equity, City Services and Policing, and on October 26, 2020, the City Council approved staff's recommendation to allocate $200,000 for Fiscal Year 2020-21 to fund a Pilot Program in partnership with San Mateo County and other cities. Based on this direction, staff worked with partner agencies to develop the Community Wellness and Crisis Response Team (CWCRT), a pilot program with San Mateo County Behavior Health to partner mental health clinicians with police officers responding to crisis calls. ANALYSIS The CWCRT program is a partnership between the police departments of The Cities, and the County of San Mateo, Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS), created to optimally respond to individuals experiencing behavioral health crisis. This collaboration is designed to increase the ability to directly respond to community members in mental health crisis; enhance response times for those in need of mental health services and resources; and create a broader and more effective continuum of care for individuals and families undergoing crisis. The CWCRT program will embed a BHRS clinician within the Redwood City Police Department, utilizing historical data to determine an appropriate work schedule. The clinician will partner with officers and related service providers to expand the capacity to respond via a co -response model of law enforcement and mental health clinicians. The response model calls for the clinician to respond in tandem with Redwood City police officers to incidents where a mental health crisis is occurring. Once the scene is safe, a determination will be made regarding the commission of crime. For non -criminal matters, the law enforcement presence will be minimized and the clinician will assume responsibility for the individual in crisis. The clinician will assess client needs, ensure appropriate action is taken and connect the individual with the appropriate service providers. For incidents involving criminal matters, law enforcement personnel will maintain responsibility but will collaborate with the clinician to determine the optimal outcome. In addition to responding to calls for service, the clinician will also provide on-going training to Redwood City Police Department personnel in the area of behavioral health, crisis response, and de- escalation. Page 2 of 4 City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.ore 161