CPAB Advisors learn about MPD’s Mental Health Unit

At the May 28 East district CPAB meeting, Advisors heard a presentation by Mental Health Officer (MHO) Haley Massey and Licensed Emergency Crisis Worker (LECW) Hope Edgren on the Madison Police Department’s Mental Health Unit (MHU). The day after, on May 28, the West district CPAB learned about the MHU thanks to a presentation by MHO Nicole Schmitgen and LECW Malorie Elmer.

Discussed were the history of the MHU, training that police officers receive on mental health and how they respond to calls, individuals’ safety plans, involuntary hospitalization and the shortcomings of older state statutes, relationships with area schools, and how MHOs and embedded crisis workers help prevent many would-be emergencies that patrol officers would otherwise need to respond to. Thank you so much to Officers Massey and Schmitgen and to Hope and Malorie for putting this together and answering questions, and to MPD’s CORE Team, who oversees this work.