Shakopee Police Department 2023 Annual Report

COORDINATED RESPONSE

By Amber Barnes, Scott County Health & Human Services Supervisor

In March 2023, a new and innovative program and partnership between Scott County Health and Human Services and our local law enforcement was launched The Coordinated Response Program embeds a social worker/ mental health professional into the Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Scott County Jail, Shakopee Police Department, and Savage Police Department to help resolve mental health crises with adults, children, and families The mental health professionals: ■ Connect with individuals in crisis after an officer encounter ■ Respond in real time to mental health calls alongside law enforcement ■ Help individuals navigate the healthcare system to find services and resources ■ Provide short-term outreach and support for adults, children, and families to manage a crisis ■ Serve as a resource to law enforcement, schools, hospitals, and community agencies ■ Partner with other county social service programs for ongoing support The overall goal of Coordinated Response is to build rapport with the community members who are suffering from a mental illness and proactively connect them with available services to reduce future law enforcement involvement As stated by Shakopee Police Chief Jeff Tate: “Addressing root causes of behavior and connecting people directly to

supportive services is one of the pillars of an effective public safety model” Since launch, Coordinated Response has received 739 referrals from our law enforcement jurisdictions Of that 739, the Shakopee Police Department sent 231 referrals to their coordinated responder, Jamison Ottum The community’s engagement rate has been calculated at 68%, meaning we were able to successfully engage and connect approximately 502 individuals to resources to address their mental or chemical health and to improve their overall well-being The Scott County Jail Coordinated Responder alone engaged with 416 inmates, bringing the total number of referrals received to 1,155 Other highlights from the year include being able to send 22 officers and deputies and our mental health professionals to national conferences focused on adopting techniques that have been successful for other communities navigating mental health crises Shakopee officers attended the PTACC (Police Treatment Community Collaborative) Conference in Denver, Colo and the PAARI (Police Assisted Addiction and

Recovery Initiative) Conference in Boston, Mass As the mental health crisis continues to affect our

communities, we look forward to another year of Coordinated Response being able to provide advocacy, education, and improved outcomes for individuals in crisis in Scott County

Bottom (left to right) Amber Barnes, Coordinated Response Supervisor; Jen Peterson, Coordinated Response Team Lead with Scott County Sheriff’s Office Top row (left to right) Jessica Koehn, Coordinated Responder with Savage PD; Jamison Ottum, Coordinated Responder with Shakopee PD; and Katie Pierson, Coordinated Responder in the Scott County Jail

20 | Shakopee Police Department