PRESENTER: Presenter
Osbaldo Flores, Chief of Police
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SUBJECT: Title
Approval of an Interlocal Agreement between the City of New Braunfels Police Department and Hill Country Community MHMR Center to provide city mental health support services.
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DEPARTMENT: Police Department
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COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: All Districts
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The New Braunfels Police Department seeks to build upon their partnership with Hill Country Community MHMR Center to develop and implement an Embedded Mental Health Professional within the department’s Dispatch Center. This pilot program aims to enhance collaboration by providing faster referrals to mental health services and improving our collective ability to de-escalate individuals experiencing mental health crises. Initially, the embedded professional would handle diverted, non-emergency mental health calls that pose no immediate risk, ensuring individuals are connected to appropriate care while allowing police resources to focus on higher-risk calls.
Through this partnership, the department will monitor key performance metrics to assess effectiveness and make data-driven improvements. This collaborative initiative will strengthen our community’s mental health response, improve outcomes for individuals in crisis, and enhance continuity of care and follow-up services provided by Hill Country Community MHMR.
ISSUE:
Approval of an Interlocal Agreement to establish the terms and conditions under which the New Braunfels Police Department and Hill Country Community MHMR Center will collaborate for the provision of a Comal County Mobile Crisis Outreach Program for Comal County.
STRATEGIC PLAN REFERENCE:
☐Economic Mobility ☐Enhanced Connectivity ☐Community Identity
☒Organizational Excellence ☒Community Well-Being ☐N/A
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fiscal impact.
Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the approval of an Interlocal Agreement between the City of New Braunfels Police Department and Hill Country Community MHMR Center to provide city mental health support services.