Fiscal Note
If awarded and accepted, the City would have to fund the full cost of the new sergeant position, including initial issue uniform and equipment, from the beginning of the Fall 2015 pre-service academy until October 1, 2015 for a cost of $14,850. During the period of the grant, the City would fund $47,300 in salaries and benefits for the sergeant position. The City would also fund $1,600 in travel expenses. The total cost to the City through the end of the grant would be approximately $49,000. At the end of the grant in September 2017, the full cost of the sergeant position would be the responsibility of the City (estimated at $93,000 in salary and benefits annually).
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Authorizing the Police Department to accept a FY2015 USDOJ Justice and Mental Collaboration Program grant, if awarded, of $200,000 for creating a Mental Health Outreach, Referral and Engagement (MORE) Team, hiring a new sergeant position and funding Journey Mental Health Center clinician for two years; and amending budgets accordingly
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WHEREAS, the Madison Police Department responds to roughly 2,000 calls annually for services pertaining to individuals with mental health-related issues, resulting in more than 200 arrests and 250 hospitalizations; and,
WHEREAS, MPD works collaboratively with Journey Mental Health Center (JMHC) and community advocates to respond to these calls and provide individual response plans and follow-up care; and,
WHEREAS, due to the reactive nature of call-related patrol work and heavy caseloads among crisis workers, MPD and JMHC have limited ability to deliver thorough and consistent follow-up care to mentally unwell community members; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Justice and Mental Collaboration Program is a grant program designed to increase public safety by facilitating collaboration among the criminal justice, juvenile justice, mental health treatment, and substance abuse systems and to improve access to effective treatment for people with mental illnesses involved with the criminal justice system; and
WHEREAS, if awarded the grant, MPD will hire a sergeant supervisor for mental health officers, and fund a dedicated Journey crisis worker to create the Mental Health Outreach, Referral and
Engagement (MORE) Team; and
WHEREAS, the MORE Team will work to identify and provide proactive services to individuals in the community who appear to be non-threatening, but are cause for concern due to untreated mental health issues; and
WHEREAS, the MORE Team will respond to dispatch-initiated calls for service and direct calls about mental health issues to mental health officers and the dedicated crisis worker, thereby diverting mentally unwell individuals from the criminal justice system and decreasing the
need for hospitalization; and
WHEREAS, this program aims to better serve individuals with mental illness by reducing mental health related police contact and improving community-based outreach and support; and
WHEREAS, the University of Wisconsin Sociology Department will study and evaluate the program (in-kind value of $21,226).
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Madison Police Department is authorized to accept an USDOJ Justice and Mental Collaboration Program grant to hire an additional sergeant position to supervise the MORE Team and fund a Journey Mental Helath Center clinician. (31102-51110 = $92,204; 31102-52000 = $36,411; 31002-54820 $71,384; 122030-42110 = ($200,000))
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the grant application will indicate that the intent of adding the new position is to increase the number of sergeants and assign a sergeant to the MORE Team.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that if the grant is awarded, the new position would be added to the Fall 2015 pre-service academy and require additional officer initial issue uniform and equipment ($8,280).
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City would provide of the required match of $46,480 during the grant period from October 2015 through September 2017, funding 27% of the new sergeant position.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the new MORE Team of a co-located sergeant and mental health clinician begin in October 2015.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that any grant funds received are appropriated to the Police Department to be used for the purpose of the grant and to amend the budgets accordingly.