When Framingham Police Officer Julie Volk goes out on a call, she’s not alone.
“I’m a resource for anything anyone needs,” said Cassie McGrath, a clinical responder with the Framingham, Massachusetts Police Department.
McGrath is not a police officer, but she is on the road with one every day.
Asked if people are surprised to see her on stage, she replied: “I think sometimes. I think you, who is this person getting out of the passenger seat of a cruiser without a uniform?”
McGrath is part of the department’s collaborative response program. It’s a program that pairs officers with mental health professionals.
Boston Mayor Kim Janey announced new reforms to the city’s police department and how it responds to mental health crises.
“It’s critical,” Officer Volk said. “It’s a great resource that we as officers have now. Sometimes, especially when people are in a mental health crisis, sometimes the simple fact that I’m in uniform and she’s not, can be a big factor.”
The program has been in place in Framingham for 20 years, and the department says it’s working.
Last year, 488 people were referred to the co-respondent program, and in situations where an arrest could be made, 94 percent were not placed in custody, according to the department.
Additionally, Framingham police said 121 people avoided unnecessary hospitalization by co-responding clinicians who provided alternative support at the scene.
“I think it’s a necessary component of policing,” said Dep. Chief Sean Riley.
In fact Dep. Chief Riley said that in his thirty years in law enforcement, he couldn’t imagine not having a co-responder program.
“Why not have a medic that might be able to de-escalate a situation, save a life, not just a person’s life, but maybe save an officer’s life,” said Dep. Chief Riley.
The purpose of the Chelsea Crisis Response Team is to work with behavioral health workers and provide assistance to those experiencing a mental health crisis.
The “Framingham Model” has gained international attention as well. Framingham officers traveled to Ireland last year to learn about the program. The Irish police will come here in the spring.
“I’m going to go to every department, I’m going to sell this,” said Sgt. Jay Ball. “It’s such an asset to police departments.”
Sgt. Ball teaches co-op classes at William James College in Newton.
“So it’s learning how we do things in Framingham, how it’s successful,” said Sgt. The ball. “Having a clinician in the car..the trust between the doctor and the officer.”
He said implementing this type of program is not always easy as it often involves charging into a department’s culture. These Framingham officers believe it could help change the way policing is done across the country.
“It’s such a resource, it’s such an addition to the department that I don’t think I’d want to work a shift where we don’t have a doctor available to us,” Officer Volk said.
“I think every day, if I can walk away at the end of the day and feel like I’ve supported somebody in some way, it’s a good day,” McGrath said.
