REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action on a Memorandum of Understanding Between the City of Santa Clara and County of Santa Clara for Mental Health Services and Related Budget Amendment
Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The proposed Memorandum of Understanding with the County of Santa Clara will allow the City to continue the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT) co-response program, a proven model that improves outcomes for individuals experiencing mental or behavioral health crises while enhancing public safety.
BACKGROUND
Police officers routinely respond to calls involving individuals experiencing mental or behavioral health crises. Over the past decade, there has been a regional increase in such calls, along with broader recognition at the state and county level of the need to divert individuals with mental illness or substance use disorder away from the criminal justice system and toward appropriate treatment at the earliest point of contact.
In response, the Police Department (Department), in coordination with the City Council and the County of Santa Clara (County), has implemented a series of programmatic enhancements over time to strengthen its approach to behavioral health-related calls for service. Early efforts included a 2015 partnership with the County Behavioral Health Services Department (BHSD) to provide intensive case management services for chronically unhoused individuals, as well as the City Council's allocation of FY 2018/19 Citizen's Option for Public Safety (COPS) Supplemental Law Enforcement Services funding to support the integration of mental health resources into police operations.
Building on these efforts, the Department restructured its Nuisance Suppression Unit into the Community Response Team (CRT) in 2019, shifting its focus toward addressing long-term public safety issues, reducing crime, and supporting vulnerable populations through proactive engagement and problem-solving strategies. In 2020, the Department further expanded ...
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