Sheriff Bill Elder will be holding a press conference on Tuesday, May 8, 2018, at 3:00 PM, at the Office of the Sheriff, located at 27 E. Vermijo Avenue, where he will introduce the Coordinated Unit Response to Behavioral Health Calls (CURB).
Mental health affects all aspects of law enforcement from interactions on the street to having an inmate population of approximately 60% who suffer from some form of mental illness.
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office was awarded funding from the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) for a five-year pilot to implement a co-responder program, which pairs law enforcement with behavioral health for a coordinated response to emergency calls determined to have a behavioral health issue as a primary driver.
The goals of the Project CURB are to:
• Prevent unnecessary incarceration and/or hospitalization of mentally ill individuals
• Promote alternate care in the least restrictive environment through a coordinated system wide approach
• Prevent duplication of mental health services
• Facilitate the return of law enforcement units to patrol activities
• Promote an information campaign for families, friends, neighbors and communities about the Sheriff’s commitment to providing a consolidated response to our citizens in crisis and the resources available
• Provide not only response, but follow-up, to insure a continuum of care and access to resources
The project funded on April 1, 2018. The first three months are for ramp up with an anticipated go-live date for the Co-Responder Unit to begin taking calls of July 1, 2018.