OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Officials say they're expanding a pilot program that stationed a mental health therapist in an Omaha police precinct.
The Omaha World-Herald reports that officials plan to place a therapist in each precinct within the next few years. The primary goal: Decrease the instances of officers taking into custody people struggling with mental health issues.
Officials also hope to connect people to the services they require and reduce the number of times officers must respond to people and their mental health crises.
The therapists are also known as co-responders. They will head to incidents that may involve people suffering from mental illnesses. Once officers deem the situations safe, the co-responders can talk to the people and determine what help they need.