The George Mason University (GMU) Center of Evidence-Based Crime Policy (CEBCP) will be partnering with the Prince William County Police Department to expand and enhance the existing Co-Responder Program with Community Services from the county.
Announcements of such new initiatives are often made known throughout a community with poster printing.
This program will strengthen the ability of the county to help those who are experiencing mental health issues and emergencies. The Co-Responder unit of the county pairs a mental health clinician with a Crisis Intervention Trained (CIT) officer to respond to emergencies to offer resources and provide outreach services. Residents of Woodbridge in the county will greatly benefit from such services.
Professor of criminology at GMU and director of the CEBCP, Cynthia Lum, expressed her pride in the CEBCP’s partnership with the Police Department of Prince William County on improving those services provided for people with mental health emergencies. Lum added that this partnership will deliver important learning opportunities and critical research for both the university and the police department and strengthen their shared interest in improving the lives of residents.
This initiative will also accelerate training to increase the number of CIT officers, provide additional training to those who are already CIT officers, provide accelerated support and training, and provide a basis for research and assessment using subject matter experts.
