Mental Health Professionals Pairing With Police in 5 Colorado Counties

You've heard the anthem 'Defund the Police'? Of course you have.

There has been a lot of confusion around what that actually means and, in a nutshell, it means to allocate funds away from law enforcement and into other social programs. Colorado's corrections facilities receive the most money in Colorado, even more than education.

Many wonder why armed troops can, overnight, show up in our communities with tanks while hospital staff can't even get proper masks.

Colorado has a plan on how to place community well-being as the first means of action, before physical action is needed, or in some cases escalated, by law enforcement.

The Colorado Department of Human Services, Office of Behavioral Health has funded five new co-responder programs in Arvada, Boulder County, Summit County, Eagle County and Westminster, as reported by North Forty News.

Following the recent outrage over George Floyd's death along with the murder of Elijah McClain in Aurora last year, Colorado is working to pair behavioral professionals with law enforcement.

These behavioral specialists will respond, along with a police officer, to substance abuse and mental health calls.

OBH began receiving state funding back in 2014 with money coming from the state's Marijuana Tax Cash Fund, according to North Forty News.

“The co-responder model is a key way to improve safety for everyone—Coloradans experiencing distress, their communities and law enforcement agencies,” said Robert Werthwein, Director of OBH.