Police to continue teaming up with county mental health services
Arcata Police Chief Brian Ahearn presented an update on police reforms efforts undertaken by his department to the Arcata City Council during its Wednesday night meeting.
Ahearn’s presentation centered on the advancements made in adding behavioral health services to the department in collaboration with the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services’ Mobile Intervention and Services Team (MIST) .
APD began to work with MIST in 2018. The collaboration allowed for people with mental health issues and homeless individuals to receive services from a manager or social worker riding along with a community response officer.
Previously, MIST members participated one day a week for four hours and directed their services at the chronically homeless in hopes the regular interactions would incentivize a voluntary commitment for services.
“It was a tremendous value because they focused on the top 10 list of chronically homeless people in Arcata, specifically those experiencing behavioral health challenges,” Ahearn shared.
Program funds expired in June 2020. However, the city found funds originating from the federal CARES Act and the Community Development Block Grant program to resume periodical MIST services. The funds were approved at the July 15, 2020 regular meeting.
As Ahearn shared, CARES Act monies approved by the council allowed for the salaries of these behavioral workers to be covered.
In addition to these, DHHS received a state hospital grant to create a narrow target population program in collaboration with the court system. DHHS chose to support the Arcata program, resulting in the recently finalized plan.
As laid out in the report presented to the council, the plan includes a MIST member at the APD offices with a Monday through Thursday schedule, from 9 a.m. through 4 p.m., and MIST members joining APD agents on behavioral health related service calls.
When Councilmember Emily Goldstein asked who would take the lead on a call, Ahearn said there are threat assessments undertaken on a case by case basis. If a suspect is armed, an officer would take the lead, though a clinician might be a better fit for other cases, such as a suicide call.
The plan also states DHHS and MIST personnel will focus on developing resource strategies for those who have regular contact with police officers and are in need of services and assistance when they are not responding to calls.
Current funding is expected to provide the services for about one year, with the department looking for funding to extend the program beyond one year’s worth of funds.
Ahearn said that while the foundation for the programs has been laid out, sustaining the programs is the next step.
“It’s going to be an invaluable resource for many community members who need these resources and need stabilizations,” he said.
The program will be managed by APD Patrol Operations Manager Bart Silvers, with Administrative Sgt. Brian Hoffman providing day-to-day supervision.
Ahearn highlighted the program by expressing his excitement and calling it a response to nationwide calls for change in police agencies.
“Arcata is setting an example that other communities throughout the country can follow and bringing in a mental health component with experts working along with police officers understanding what each of their roles are, we are developing the model right before our eyes,” he said.
Prior to his MIST update, Ahearn said in his opening remarks his department has finalized the process of returning 14 long guns back to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. The equipment was sent back in an effort to clear APD of any military equipment it has acquired in the past.
“We have finalized the process to return our 14 long guns back to CAL OES through the law enforcement support office program, that was in an effort to return any military equipment that we may have procured over the years,” he said.
Ahearn said the process to return the firearms was suspended for a time, but with the suspension being lifted, the long guns in question are no longer in the department’s possession.
“We have no more military equipment here at the Arcata Police Department,” Ahearn declared on Wednesday night’s meeting.
“We don’t use these rifles, we never have since we got them. We’ve never even trained with them,” Ahearn previously told the council on June 19, 2020.