Dunwoody:

Continued from Page 1 law was passed, making local community service boards in Georgia responsible for providing co-responder services.

Under the new contract, Doraville and Dunwoody would share one full-time clinician, stationed at the Dunwoody Police Department, and funded by the DeKalb Community Service Board and the two cities.

The DeKalb Community Service Board would contribute $33,400 toward the position for the first year and $16,600 the second year, while the cities would share a percentage of the cost based on their populations.

During the first year, Dunwoody would be responsible for 83 percent of the position’s costs, or $81,020. Doraville will pay $16,653, or 17 percent. Dunwoody’s portion of the cost would be paid for through American Rescue Plan Act funding.

“It's really important,” Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch said. “It's a great use of our resources.”

With the co-responder position, police officers in Dunwoody are more likely to respond effectively in the various and complicated situations they regularly face, Carlson said.

“I've been in law enforcement 25 years, and the way we handle mental health crises then and the way we handle them now is completely different,” he said. “We didn't know what to do with them a long time ago and a lot of times it was just, ‘lock them up, put them in jail.’ That's not the answer.”

Once the new position is filled and active, the co-responder will be both proactive and reactive, responding to mental health calls with police officers and conducting check-ins with individuals known to be in need.

Because there’s no telling when mental health-related situations arise, Carlson said the department will set up methods for online communications from the specialist’s location.

“She could actually FaceTime when we arrive at the scene and provide a 1013, which is a medical hold,” he said, speaking about their experience with View Point Health in 2022. “She would sign that for somebody remotely and make sure they get to the appropriate facility.”

Today, Dunwoody police officers are much better equipped to deal with mental health issues, thanks to an emphasis on de-escalation training and a new focus on getting people the help they need. But Carlson said they never know what they’re going to need help with, so having a professional on call is always wise.

“Our officers are very well trained in handling these situations but … there's no such thing as a routine mental health call,” he said.

Deutsch said no money will be needed for the program until the DeKalb Community Service Board hires a candidate to fill the role. Because officials aren’t sure yet whether one person will be able to meet the needs of both cities, the program will likely be reexamined regularly.

“This is DeKalb’s choice for us to share,” she said. “So, in a reasonable amount of time, which will be six months or more, if we find that it's just not working, let's revisit it with the community Service Board.”

No vote was taken on the item by the city council at this meeting, however, it will return as a consent agenda item at the council’s next meeting Monday, March 27.