CCMIN 11162021 - Laserfiche WebLink

Chief Swing stated the proposed unit would be housed within the PPD but with no obvious affiliation, including unmarked vehicles and plain-clothes officers. The two existing officers would be paired with two clinicians — one specializing in juvenile intervention and one specializing in adult intervention. There would be a part-time case manager to help connect unhoused residents with services. The juvenile clinician would respond primarily to schools while the adult clinician would focus on homeless and substance abuse matters. Referrals will be made directly through Axis Community Health's Mental Health Urgent Care Clinic. The clinicians will provide in-house training to the PPD and City staff. Chief Swing estimated the cost of the two-year pilot program at $844,462 with personnel accounting for $801,940 of the sum. He added the remaining costs are for two leased vehicles. He added PPD Sergeant Nick Albert has researched the costs of hiring the two full-time clinicians and means of identifying and hiring them, including potentially partnering with non-profit organizations. The clinicians would have to be licensed professionals so they could write a psychiatric hold if needed and eliminate the need for a PPD response. In response to Councilmember Balch, Chief Swing stated the hours of operation for the unit would be determined by calls for service. He added they have not set the criteria for a dispatch yet as the pilot program will help evaluate and determine what the criteria should be. He added there will be a proactive approach to calls. In response to Councilmember Balch, Chief Swing stated staffing is part of the reason to wait until July 1, 2022, to start the program. He added other cities report finding it difficult to recruit clinicians to work the odd hours in the field and stated this is why PPD is also exploring contract providers. In response to Councilmember Balch, Chief Swing stated the greatest risk is in ensuring the safety of the clinician, officer, and community. There have been incidents nationally where clinicians have suffered harm. He stated the program can be proactive in checking in with concerned neighbors and conducting follow-ups for those with chronic mental health needs. In response to Councilmember Arkin, Chief Swing stated he could foresee family support becoming an aspect of the program as it is developed. He added there will be an opportunity for family members to see service providers through Axis Community Health. In response to Councilmember Arkin, Chief Swing stated the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department (LPFD) will be aware of the program and he envisions some training for the LPFD to recognize the need for a potential response from the mental health crisis response team. In response to Councilmember Arkin, Chief Swing stated he did not want to set up an overly ambitious goal but agreed an early metric for success would be about a 50% reduction in officer-initiated 5150 holds. In response to Councilmember Testa, Chief Swing stated they reached out to Stanford Health Care ValleyCare but were unable to find a partnership. City Manager Fialho clarified ValleyCare is not yet ready to partner but has left the door open for partnering on a more expansive and regional crisis response team. He added ValleyCare's focus is more on the City of Palo Alto and they were not in a position to negotiate things more locally to Pleasanton yet. He stated the City needs to start the program and demonstrate some success before revisiting the idea of a partnership. In response to Councilmember Testa, Chief Swing reported the workgroup evaluated the CAHOOTS model and others. He stated there were safety concerns with the CAHOOTS model. Councilmember Testa stated she is happy they are looking at a model which removes law enforcement as the central piece of dealing with mental health situations. City Council Minutes Page 6 of 19 November 16, 2021