Colorado co-responder programs aim to bridge gaps with mental health crisis responses

Kelly Williams was working in the mental health field until she heard about an interesting program in Wheat Ridge.

"I saw it as the next -- a really good opportunity for me to provide the same level of services but out in the community," Williams said. 

Co-responders have been a staple in the Wheat Ridge community since 2017. That's when the city partnered with Jefferson Center Mental Health to aid officers on crisis calls. Denver County has the STAR program that works the same way. 

"Having a mental health professional that can attend these mental health or crisis calls, they're able to give a different perspective," said Bonnie Collins, a social worker that is a director with Jefferson Center. "They have training on that."

But it isn't just restricted to mental health crises. Sometimes, co-responders are called out to normal service calls and are able to provide a human touch in the midst of a criminal charge. Williams had an experience that allowed her to understand the "why" of a crime that had just been committed and how co-responders can operate as a deterrent to future or repeat crimes. 

"These two elderly ladies were stealing from a King Soopers," Williams said, "And as they were standing there in handcuffs we had a conversation about why this was happening and what her immediate needs were." 

"It turns out that they can't afford food and self-care products -- so getting her contact information to send her some resources so she can get those products without having to steal," Williams continued. 

Some repeat offenders of petty crimes become familiar faces on the street, particularly with the chronically houseless. So co-responders and those at Jefferson Center are able to create a rapport to provide services, and case management, with the ability to serve those marginalized or struggling populations. 

Police Commander Lucas Hunt also thinks it can help officers in the field. Part of training for a police department is the understanding that the job is dangerous and could occur at any moment. He told CBS Colorado that the partnership with co-responders and WRPD's own training is allowing for the humanity of re-enter service calls with the potential to stop future crimes. 

"That partnership between the co-responder and the officer is about diffusing situations, getting it down to where they can handle it at the lowest levels," Hunt said.