NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Metro Nashville Police will continue its partnership with behavioral health experts after a successful pilot project.
Partners in Care aims to appropriately respond to mental health calls.
It's going to be extended for at least another year and will be available in more Metro precincts. The goal is for officers to respond to mental health calls and deliver treatment if possible, avoiding arrests.
The vote from Metro Council to continue the program was unanimous. They agreed to a one-year contract with Mental Health Cooperative for the expansion.
The pilot program started in Summer 2021 in the North and Hermitage precincts, with the Central Precinct added in May. The South Precinct will be added in November, with a new precinct added every six months until the program is citywide.
In the project’s first year, officers and clinicians responded to more than 1,300 calls for service that resulted in arrests just over 4% of the time. More than half the calls were resolved with medical transport, either to a hospital or treatment center.
To date, more than 100 Metro officers have been trained on how to respond to crisis intervention.
