SAVANNAH, GA. (June 5, 2023): SPD’s Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) doubled in size this year allowing it to continue to succeed at offering more availability to assist anyone experiencing a mental crisis or a substance abuse issue.
BHU started in 2020 with two non-uniformed SPD officers. A licensed clinician rides with the unit, and a doctor also joins several days a week. Even after the initial call for service ends, BHU continues to follow up with the individuals and their families to make sure they continue to get the help they need to make a positive change.
“It was immediately evident that this program was going to be a success and greatly impact the way that we handle these types of calls,” Assistant Chief Robert Gavin said. “It is a much more holistic approach to earlier policing practices. We knew then that that we would need to continue to grow the unit in order to respond to more calls and have more impact.”
In February 2023 Savannah City Council voted to expand the unit with two additional officers.
In addition, the unit added a therapy dog in December 2022. Goose, a now-8-month-old Labrador, is used to not only assist with BHU calls but also is used in the community and department as needed. Goose is still undergoing his official training, which is expected to be completed in Fall 2023.
Since its inception, BHU has had 603 encounters with individuals who needed assistance. Out of the encounters, only 23 resulted in arrest. The arrests were the result of the individuals having existing warrants.
“The goal is to provide an alternative to arrest,” Gavin said. “We have partnered with area mental health and substance abuse services to get to the root of the problem and develop a lasting solution for the betterment of not only the individual but the entire community. With more than 600 encounters in less than three years, we know we are having an immense impact. With double the BHU officers, we can now continue to build upon that success.”
The majority of SPD officers are Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) certified, which gives them the skills and training needed to respond to calls involving a person in crisis. BHU officers have more extensive training and resources to handle these types of calls for service.