Indianapolis Police Creates Behavioral Health Units To Divert People In Crisis From Entering Jail

On June 7, 2016, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) launched new behavioral health units that pair specially trained officers with behavioral health crisis specialists to make regular home visits and outreach to city residents diagnosed with behavioral health disorders who are at risk of being involved with the criminal justice system. The city has a total of five IMPD behavioral health units, and the units operate as a program within the IMPD’s new Neighborhood Outreach Office. The units are intended to help reduce rearrest rates and prevent incarceration of people with behavioral health problems. IMPD historical data indicated . . .