Marysville to pair police officers and mental health workers

Clinicians will respond with officers to mental health calls. The pilot program runs through June.

MARYSVILLE — Police aren’t always equipped to handle a mental heath crisis.

In an effort to help with that, the Marysville Police Department plans to bring on two health care workers to join its officers.

The department recently received a $95,000 grant from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. The new program, called IMPACT for short, was approved by the Marysville City Council about a week ago.

Marysville is partnering with the Arlington and Lake Stevens police departments. All three work together often because their borders touch, Marysville police spokesperson Cmdr. Wendy Wade said.

“We do training together, sometimes we are called in as backup,” she said. “It’s just sort of organic that we include them in that group as well.”

The acronym IMPACT stands for Integrated Model for Police and Crisis Teams. It was first implemented by the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office.

The two new staff are expected to work out of the Marysville Police Department but are employees of Compass Health. The grant pays for their salaries and any equipment they may need.

One person has been officially hired so far, Wade said, but they each are expected to have a degree in behavioral science and experience providing crisis intervention services. Training starts in early March, and the pilot program runs through June.

The project builds on the city’s embedded social worker program that began in 2018, where an officer and social worker team up to offer treatment and other services to those experiencing homelessness, or people who live with addiction or mental illness.

So far the social worker and police officer team has completed about 2,870 interactions, according to the city.

“Our police officers have been responding more often to calls involving mental health issues outside their areas of expertise,” Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring said in a statement. “I’m excited to add mental health experts to the Marysville public safety team. This investment is a good one for our officers and for the public we serve.”

When the program begins, the mental health workers are expected to ride with an officer who can drive them to calls where they are requested.

Many people are reported to police multiple times because callers don’t know how to handle mental health issues. The Marysville department hopes this program gets those people help, and to end that cycle of recurring calls.

“This is going to be the trend in law enforcement,” Wade said. “We need to do more for our mental health, and police can’t do everything, it’s not our expertise. So to bring in those subject matter experts to work with us just makes sense.”

Stephanie Davey: 425-339-3192; sdavey@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @stephrdavey.

This story has been modified to remove an inaccurate term for the mental health professionals.

Talk to us

More in Local News

Everett
Cat killed, 9 people displaced after duplex fire in Everett

None of the people were injured in the fire reported around 1:15 a.m. in the 11500 block of Meridian Avenue S.

Brian Henrichs, left, and Emily Howe, right, begin sifting out the bugs from their bug trap along Port Susan on Monday, May 22, 2023 in Stanwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘A delta for the future’: Scientists try to save salmon at Stilly’s mouth

The Stillaguamish River’s south fork once supported 20,000 salmon. In 2019, fewer than 500 fish returned to spawn.

Mountlake Terrace Library, part of the Sno-Isle Libraries, in Mountlake Terrace, Washington on Thursday, June 1, 2023. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Sno-Isle workers cite safety, unfilled positions in union push

Workers also pointed to inconsistent policies and a lack of a say in decision-making. Leadership says they’ve been listening.

A view over the Port of Everett Marina looking toward the southern Whidbey Island fault zone in March 2021. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County agencies to simulate major disaster

The scenario will practice the response to an earthquake or tsunami. Dozens of agencies will work with pilots.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Tulalip man sentenced to 4 years for carjacking

Michael J.D. Clark Jones received help from a woman after fleeing the police. He then assaulted her while stealing her car.

Lynnwood
1 stabbed at apartment in Lynnwood

The man, 26, was taken to an Everett hospital with “serious injuries.”

A firefighting helicopter carries a bucket of water from a nearby river to the Bolt Creek Fire on Saturday, Sep. 10, 2022, on U.S. Highway 2 near Index, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Red flag fire warning issued west of Cascades

There are “critical fire weather” conditions due to humidity and wind in the Cascades, according to the National Weather Service.

Police stand along Linden Street next to orange cones marking pullet casings in a crime scene of a police involved shooting on Friday, May 19, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lake Stevens man identified in Everett manhunt, deadly police shooting

Travis Hammons, 34, was killed by officers following a search for an armed wanted man in a north Everett neighborhood.

A house fire damaged two homes around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 6, 2023 in Marysville, Washington. (Photo provided by Marysville Fire District)
Fire burns 2 homes in Marysville, killing 2 dogs

Firefighters responded to a report of a fire north of Lakewood Crossing early Tuesday, finding two houses engulfed in flames.

Most Read