Our Law Enforcement Liaisons are specially trained counselors embedded in select law enforcement agencies across east central Iowa. Our liaisons respond to 911 calls related to mental health concerns to help de-escalate situations and provide care in the least restrictive environment.
Law Enforcement Liaisons
Mental health support during an emergency
What we do
Liaisons respond to mental health-related crises, often alongside law enforcement. The overarching goal is to reduce unnecessary jail or hospital stays and decrease repeat contact with local law enforcement.
Crisis calls are often resolved with:
- stabilization in the community
- voluntary hospitalization
- crisis stabilization bed
Co-Response Care Coordinator
The Co-Response Care Coordinator (CRCC) provides support to clients after the point-in-time intervention conducted by the Law Enforcement Liaison and their law enforcement partner.
The CRCC spends time with clients, particularly those who are high utilizers of law enforcement. The CRCC conducts follow-ups, creates care plans/goal setting, refers and connects to services, and prevents further crises and/or law enforcement involvement.
Services in action
Connecting
The local fire department, police department, and area ambulance service were called to the residence of an adult individual daily – sometimes multiple times per day – due to mental health crises and manic behaviors.
The Foundation 2 Law Enforcement Liaison walked through a committal process with the individual’s mother and father, and the individual was able to access a higher level of care at a mental health facility.
Returning to safety
An adult with multiple serious mental health diagnoses wandered out alone on a nature trail. They walked until they reached a construction zone, became disoriented, and panicked. They called 911 for support.
Guided by dispatch, the Foundation 2 Crisis Services’ Law Enforcement Liaison was able to navigate through the trail and construction zone and find the client, who was pacing the trail, anxious and scared. The liaison was able to de-escalate the client, build trust, do an evaluation and transport them to a Crisis Stabilization Bed for continued support.
Reducing Risk
The Law Enforcement Liaison was contacted by a family who’s relative was returning to the local community and had recently been making threats to seriously harm others. In almost every call with the Liaison, the individual would indicate that they wanted to die via suicide by cop.
The Liaison worked behind the scenes with law enforcement, the individual’s family, and service providers to ensure that mental health services are being followed through with to mitigate their risk to the community.