First Responders Month: Co-Responder Unit aids in mental health emergencies, keeping police on the streets

Cape Girardeau Police Department's Co-Responder Unit helps police and citizens address mental health issues while significantly cutting police response time.

Cpl. Will Rogers, Co-Responder Unit supervisor, said before the Cape Girardeau Police Department had the unit, the average time on scene for a police officer addressing a mental health issue was 61 minutes, and with the unit, that time has dropped to 12 minutes.

"In the past, before corresponding units existed, you know, your option was to take them to the ER, take them to jail, depending on the situation," Rogers said.

He said many times even when petty crimes were being committed, such as trespassing, those people don't always belong in jail. Rogers said confining a person in jail isn't always helping their situation.

He said they also do a lot of follow-up on situations by reaching out to the family members and coaching them on what their next steps might be.

Co-Responder Shannon Farris said all of their calls are treated as urgent.

"So when we go on a call, it's not a, 'We'll see you next week or months from now.' It's, 'We have to figure it out now', and so it's important to build those relationships that we can call you directly," Farris said.

Farris said when responding to a situation goes beyond enrolling that person for a service they make sure they can get treatment.

Rogers noted the department isn't a counseling service and they don't diagnose anyone but act as triage. Farris said officers know to call the Co-Responder Unit if a person is "triggered or uncomfortable" on a scene.

Farris said it could be a motor vehicle accident that they respond to and the person didn't handle it well.

"Almost every call is directly or indirectly related to substances," Farris said. "That could be alcohol, most certainly, but also meth and fentanyl and then prescription drugs and then cannabis, and a lot of the synthetics that are out there."

Farris said those situations predominantly feature adults but involve people of all ages.

Rogers said if a person does go to jail because they committed a crime, Co-Responders can still visit with them. He said they would also coordinate with a jail navigator to give them information on what the person in custody might be going through.

Rogers said sometimes people end up refusing help, which can be a hurdle for the unit.

"We have to be cognizant of people's rights. So I was trying to set the expectation we will do what we can. But there are several people who don't want help, or at least they're not in that window where they want help yet," Rogers said. "Our job in those situations is to build a rapport with that person, and build up that trust so that window opens up."