Submitted by: Ron Brooks
Submitting Department: Finance
Agenda Section: Consent
Item Title:
title
FY24 Budget Amendment: Special Revenues Budget and Appropriations of Unencumbered FY23 Grant Funds
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Suggested Action:
recommendation
I move that the Mayor and Council amend the FY24 Special Revenues Budget to appropriate prior year unencumbered DOJ/COPS Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness (LEMHWA) grant funds in the amount of $118,800 to support the Police Department's Mental Wellness Check-in Initiative Program.
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Summary Background:
The HCPD Mental Wellness Check-In Initiative is one component of the overarching HCPD Mental Health and Wellness Program. The Program includes required and optional training and educational opportunities for officers and dispatchers. The focus is on providing additional techniques for our first responders to use to best support members of the community who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis, while also supporting officers' and dispatchers' mental wellbeing as they navigate the unique stressors that come with being a first responder. The HCPD Mental Wellness Check-In Initiative is designed to remove the stigma of choosing to see a therapist and guarantees every sworn officer and civilian employee at HCPD receives mental health support for free. The one-on-one, quarterly, required, virtual meetings will be conducted by licensed behavioral health practitioners who have experience in
working with first responders. These sessions will not be used for fitness-for-duty assessments. They will be quarterly, confidential, 50-minute sessions that will include clinical and psycho-educational coaching, and when needed, talk therapy. Discussions would only be reported if someone is deemed a danger to themself or to others. The DOJ COPS grant extends the initial funding for one year and allows HCPD to include the Town of Brentwood Police Department's five police officers. The grant also provides funding to cover the cost of...
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