Grants are now available from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), and Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to USA and territories IHEs and state, local, and tribal governments for programs to improve the response of law officers when they come into contact with individuals with mental illness. Applicants are advised to complete required registrations well in advance of the deadline.
The objectives of the program are to:
- Design and implement a best practice program in crisis response based on present information to assist law enforcement officers during encounters with people who have MHDs or co-occurring MHSUDs.
- Plan and deliver a law enforcement agency response program, in coordination with a mental health agency, that includes services to improve or enhance the response.
- Pay salaries, as well as expenses such as training (overtime) and coordination activities, to design and implement a police-mental health collaboration program (PMHC).
- Engage citizens through officer outreach and education to improve public safety.
- Build positive community relations and trust through public communication strategies.
- Enhance officer knowledge and skills in responding to community members with MHDs or co-occurring MHSUDs.
- Increase public safety agency capacity to develop and sustain the program by collecting data to inform practices, create stakeholder groups, develop policy, and encourage ongoing professional development.
- Seek guidance, then incorporate and build upon successful strategies for PMHCs.
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OJP priority areas
