Item No.
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
BY: SCOTT LOUGHNER, ACTING CHIEF OF POLICE
DATE: MAY 14, 2024
SUBJECT: MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE LOS ANGELES
COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH TO PROVIDE MENTAL
HEALTH CLINICIANS TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT’S MENTAL
EVALUATION TEAM
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City Council will consider the approval of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and the City of Downey to provide Mental Health Clinicians to the Police Department’s Mental Evaluation Team. The Mental Evaluation Team is comprised of two police officers who respond to mental health and/or substance use crisis calls with licensed Mental Health Clinicians from the County.
RECOMMENDATION
That the City Council:
1. Approve the Memorandum of Understanding between the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and the City of Downey to provide Mental Health Clinicians to the Police Department’s Mental Evaluation Team; and
2. Authorize the City manager, or his designee, to execute the Memorandum of Understanding between the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and the City of Downey to provide Mental Health Clinicians to the Police Department’s Mental Evaluation Team.
BACKGROUND
The Downey Police Department operates with two specialized Mental Evaluation Teams, each consisting of a Downey Police Mental Health Officer and, on a part-time basis, a licensed Mental Health Clinician from the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. This collaborative approach has demonstrated increased effectiveness and efficiency in addressing mental health and substance use crises within the community.
These teams are deployed in response to calls involving individuals in mental health crisis, enabling a prompt and coordinated intervention by both law enforcement and mental health professionals. The primary objective is to engage with the individual, their
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF
MENTAL HEALTH TO PROVIDE MENTAL HEALTH CLINICIANS TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT’S MENTAL EVALUATION TEAM
MAY 14, 2024
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family, community resources, and treatment programs to devise a safety plan aimed at the least restrictive treatment option or ensuring the individual's safe transport to a medical facility.
ANALYSIS
Currently, the Downey Police Department has received a grant from Advocates for Human Potential, Inc./California Department of Health Care Services to bolster its efforts in assisting individuals grappling with mental health issues. This grant funds clinician overtime, facilitating an additional 525 hours of work by clinicians within the co-response model alongside the department's mental health team.
To formalize this arrangement, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been established. This MOU permits mental health clinicians from the Department of Mental Health to provide up 20 hours of additional overtime services per week paid for by the grant to support the Downey Police Department's Mental Evaluation Team. Furthermore, it allows for the authorization of hours exceeding 20 per week if deemed necessary by Department of Mental Health supervision.
This MOU represents a continuation of the prior agreement that ended on December 31, 2023. The new MOU spans from March 1, 2024, through March 31, 2025, ensuring the sustained provision of vital mental health services within the community.
CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES
Fiscal Responsibility
Quality of Life, Neighborhood & Infrastructure
Public Engagement
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no impact to the general fund. The overtime salaries of the Department of Mental Health mental health clinicians will be paid for by the Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. / California Department of Health Care Services Behavioral Health Mobile Crisis and Non- Crisis Services grant.
ATTACHMENT
Attachment A: Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health Memorandum of Understanding