The Ann Arbor Police Department has launched a new crisis response partnership with Washtenaw County Community Mental Health.
A2 REACH partners an AAPS officer with a licensed social worker to respond to a person having a mental health crisis. The pair works to provide the subject with the help they need and direct them to the appropriate service provider.
Ann Arbor Police Officer Anya Shinabery says they aren’t looking to incarcerate those they’ll be responding to.
“Oftentimes, interactions with law enforcement may be intimidating. Overall, we’re just trying to meet people where they're at, so that way, they know that we are here to help them rather than, you know, have them enter the criminal justice system or anything like that.”
Shinabery’s partner is County Mental Health Co-response Clinician Nicole Berent. The two have uniforms and a patrol vehicle that are clearly marked to differentiate between themselves and a regular AAPS officer.
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