She Goes to Police Calls in a Prius. It's Part of New Approach to Mental Health Emergencies | KQED

"It's working, according to a new study of San Mateo County's efforts from Stanford's John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities, which found that pairing law enforcement officers with mental health clinicians reduces the likelihood of costlier and more intrusive interventions. "We've got to look to alternatives and really understand that police are not the best equipped to handle mental health crisis situations," said San Mateo County Executive Officer Mike Callagy, who proposed the pilot after seeing cases that resulted in officers using force and in lawsuits."

""I fill in the gaps," said Fair. "It's just a matter of getting her the right supports." During each visit with her client, Fair tries to help her check something off a list of things that have been bothering her. Today, they're sitting next to one another as they call California's social services department to ask about in-home care. They're placed on hold and after five minutes, her client lets out a deep sigh."

""We recognized that we were triaging problems and just finding short-term solutions," said Barberini. "I'm pleasantly surprised with how things have turned out." Prior to the pilot program, San Mateo police officers who responded to mental health 911 calls had to decide whether to send the person to the hospital for a 72-hour involuntary hold, arrest them, or leave them to their own devices."

San Mateo County implemented a pilot that pairs law enforcement officers with mental health clinicians to respond to 911 mental-health calls. A Stanford John W. Gardner Center study found the co-responder model reduces the likelihood of costlier, more intrusive interventions. Clinicians provide safety planning, follow-up, connection to services such as in-home care, and hands-on casework, reducing reliance on 72-hour involuntary holds, arrests, or leaving individuals without support. County leadership proposed the pilot after incidents involving officer force and lawsuits. The model emphasizes alternatives to traditional policing and seeks to improve outcomes while avoiding escalation.

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