Pasadena Homeless Outreach, Psychiatric Evaluation (HOPE)

Quick Facts:

Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
Pasadena PD
Approximate number of officers in agency:
70
Primary specialized response:
Mental health professionals partner with law enforcement officers to provide on-scene crisis intervention and referral.
Program start year:
2005 or earlier
Total number of officers in program:
3

Pasadena Homeless Outreach, Psychiatric Evaluation (HOPE)

Contact:

Name:
Hasani Gough
Title:
Supervising Psychiatric Social Worker
Organization:
Pasadena PD
Address:
207 N. Garfield Ave.
Pasadena, CA
Email:
hasani.gough@verizon.net
Phone:
626.744.4501

Agency Information

Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
Pasadena PD
Type of government that operates law enforcement agency:
Township
Approximate number of officers in agency:
70

Specialized Response Description

Program start year:
2005 or earlier
Primary specialized response:
Mental health professionals partner with law enforcement officers to provide on-scene crisis intervention and referral.
Secondary specialized response:
Mental health providers, often as members of a mobile crisis team, are called in by law enforcement to provide crisis intervention at the scene.
Background information:
Chief B. Melekian has long had an interest in issues related to Law Enforcement & their contacts with persons with mental illness. He met with Linda Boyd, RN, MS, Program Head for the LA Co. Dept. of Mental Health, Law Enforcement & Mental Health Units, & a program was born.
Total number of officers in program:
3
Number of people with mental illness served:
101-200
Catchment area:
The entire jurisdiction
Funding source(s):
  • Police Department
  • Local Mental Health Department
  • Federal grant funds
    • Staff supported by funding:
  • Law Enforcement Officer
  • MH Service Provider (e.g. case manager, social worker)

    • Program Partners and Personnel

    Existence of planning and oversight committee:
    No (please proceed to question 17)
    Mental health or advocacy agencies that participate in program:
    not clear
    Written agreement of roles and procedures:
    Yes
    Recruitment and selection:
    Officers are assigned.
    Program coordinator/boundary spanner
    Yes. There are multiple program coordinators
    Linda Boyd, RN,MS LA Co. DMH 231.738.4431 Lt. Alex Uribe, Pas PD, 626.744.4620

    Training on Mental Health Issues

    Types of training on mental health issues:
  • Basic in-service training for all patrol officers
  • annually 1-2 hrs.
  • Basic in-service training for dispatchers and / or call takers
  • annually 1-2 hrs.
  • Advanced in-service training for select patrol officers
  • annually 16-20hrs.
    • Number of officers who receive advanced training:
    1-50
    Groups who conducts advanced training:
  • Police officers
  • Mental health professionals (crisis workers)
  • Medical professionals (doctors or nurses)
  • Consumers
  • Advocates
    • Advanced training topics:
    • Recognizing symptoms of mental illness, and clinical issues
    • Co-occurring disorders
    • Legal issues concerning individuals with mental illness
    • Legal issues concerning police officer liability
    • De-escalation techniques
    • Suicide prevention
    • The role of families and other supports in mental health treatment and recovery
    Advanced training methods:
  • Presentations (including panels, lectures, and/or PowerPoints)
  • Ride-alongs
  • Virtual reality/computerized simulations of mental illness symptoms

    • Response Procedures

    Standardized dispatch questions:
    No
    Dispatch documentation:
  • Document in central computer database used for all calls, such as a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system
    • Incident documentation by responding officer:
  • Relay information to dispatch who records it in general computer database used for all calls, such as a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system
  • Record information in a field encounter form, or other form used to document every citizen encounter
  • Record information in log maintained by mental health personnel at the crisis drop-off location or by some other mental health organization
    • Use of information on individuals' mental illness stored in police records:
    as heads up info on a given call
    Mental health professional available to support police responder:
  • Yes, both on-site and remotely
    • Officers permitted to transport people with mental illness to services when:
    • The person has volunteered to receive mental health treatment
    • The person is being brought to a hospital for emergency evaluation
    • The person is being brought to a crisis center or other health care facility for stabilization or medications management
    Officers allowed to transport a person without handcuffs:
    No
    Access to drop-off locations:
    Yes. It is open 24 hours a day.
    Procedure for streamlined intake and a "no refusal" policy for police referrals?
    Yes
    Location of drop-off center(s):
  • Psychiatric emergency / crisis center
  • General hospital emergency room
    • Drop-off center accepts people with co-occurring substance abuse disorders:
    Yes
    Length of time for drop-off and return to patrol:
    More than 45 minutes

    Program Sustainability

    Data collection:
    Yes
    Published evaluation:
    No
    Local media coverage:
    Star News & The Herald
    Legislative funding or support:
    No
    About this information:

    A program representative provided this information details through a detailed survey.

    For more information on the survey, read about our methodology or download a pdf of the full survey.

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