CPD, County Keep Working on CORE

The Corvallis Police Department has partnered with Benton County Behavioral Health to respond to mental health crisis calls throughout the county. The Crisis Outreach Response and Engage or CORE program launched on July 1, 2021, pairs a sworn in officer with a qualified mental health care professional when responding to a call where mental health services need to be provided.  

Lieutenant Ryan M. Eaton with the Corvallis Police Department, “The pair respond to the calls for service where an individual’s behavior is derived from being in crisis and respond to conduct follow up with individuals who were identified by law enforcement as possibly needing mental health services. Through these interventions, the CORE team’s goal is to divert individuals away from the criminal justice system when appropriate and to have them engage in other services which would best mitigate the root causes leading to their behavior.” 

Eaton said law enforcement officials nationwide are seeing an increase in mental health related calls for service.  

As we look to assist those in need, we must ensure we are utilizing our resources effectively and this is where the CORE program comes in,” said Eaton. “Placing a qualified mental health worker with a sworn officer provides us the opportunity to immediately engage with those in crisis with the right resource.” 

The program, which is still fairly new, has so far been a success and provides an opportunity for officers to delegate calls where they best see fit. 

According to Eaton the program has received no additional funding, but they do plan to look for grants in the future in order to keep the program staffed.  

“There is currently no dedicated funding for the CORE program, though sources of funding such grants are being evaluated,” Eaton said. Both the Corvallis Police Department and Benton County Behavioral Health have dedicated preexisting staff to the CORE program as both organizations believe in and value the collaboration the team provides in addressing behaviors stemming from individuals experiencing crisis in the community. 

By Jennifer Williams 

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