Thomasville Police Department addresses mental health issues

THOMASVILLE — Law enforcement agencies face challenges when responding to mental health situations, taking on roles as police officers and social workers or other support roles to assess conditions effectively. This can cause a struggle to identify and develop policies and approaches on mental illness and create training to serve this population effectively.

The Thomasville Police Department recently updated its current memorandum of understanding with two area organizations to continue collaborative responses to those with mental health conditions in the community. TPD, Benchmark Human Services, and Georgia Pines will continue to collaborate and work together to connect individuals and families to mental health care. Benchmark is a mobile services crisis response team that provides services throughout the state of Georgia, and Georgia Pines is a local organization that provides support and assistance to those affected by mental illness.

“This updated agreement will essentially be a formalized approach for creating comprehensive services for the community,” Thomasville Police Chief John Letteney said. “We will all work together to develop a safe plan for assessment.”

In the agreement, TPD will continue to initiate a crisis call through Georgia Crisis, which will alert Benchmark to meet at the crisis scene. Both TPD and Benchmark will collaborate and assess risk, with Benchmark performing a clinical assessment and coordinating treatment with Georgia Pines.

These partnerships are also part of the One Mind Campaign, a pledge created by the International Association of Chiefs of Police to ensure successful interactions between law enforcement and individuals with mental health conditions. The initiative focuses on uniting local communities, public safety organizations, and mental health organizations so that the three become “of one mind.”

“We know part of the solution in responding to persons with mental illness is forming partnerships and training personnel to recognize when someone is suffering,” Letteney. said. “Working with other organizations to develop de-escalation techniques and coordinating treatment will help us provide a successful resolution.”

For more information about the Thomasville Police Department, visit Thomasville.org or TPD’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/ThomasvillePoliceDepartment.

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