Reference: Colorado DOLA Grant Application-Peace Officer’s Mental Health Support
To: Mayor Gregory Mills and Members of City Council
Through: Michael P. Martinez, City Manager
Prepared By: Doug Imfeld, Peer Support Team Coordinator Brighton PD
Date Prepared: October 13, 2022
PURPOSE
To request approval of the application for the Colorado Department of Local Affairs Peace Officer’s Behavioral Health Support and Community Partnerships Grant.
STRATEGIC FOCUS AREA
Safe, Active and Engaged Community
BACKGROUND
Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) has made available funding in fiscal year 2022 - 2023 for the purpose of Peace Officer’s Mental Health Support. The Peace Officers Behavioral Health Support and Community Partnerships grant program is available for law enforcement agencies, peace officer organizations, and public safety agencies for the following purposes:
1. Co-responder community responses.
2. Community-based alternative responses.
3. Counseling services for peace officers and their immediate family members.
4. Assistance for development and implementation of policies to support peace officers who are involved in shootings or fatal use of force.
5. Training and education programs that teach peace officers and their immediate family members the symptoms of job-related mental trauma and how to prevent and treat such trauma.
6. Peer support programs for peace officers.
7. Hiring, contracting, or developing a remote network to provide behavioral health counseling, therapy, or other related support services to peace officers involved in
job-related traumatic situations.
Grants are approved on a first-come first-serve basis and funds are awarded until exhausted. This is an annual grant program funded by DOLA.
The department was awarded $50,000.00 in grant funds for use between August 2019 and December 2020. The department spent $25,463.76 of the $50,000.00. The use of the funds supported 150 mental health provider office visits, 50 alternative wellness office visits, 8 department peer support and wellness webinars/trainings, 5 critical incident debriefs, as well as peer support team supervision by a licensed clinician.
In 2021 the department again applied for grant funds and was awarded $10,000.00 for use between April 2021 and March 2022. While the department asked for more funds, the number of agencies across the state increased drastically. No funds for FY 2022 were disbursed, and the department was unable to provide any of the critical support it had been able to in previous years.
Recently, this program was restarted with a total of 8 million dollars available statewide. The department is again requesting grant funds in the amount of $55,000.00 to cover expenditures in 2022-2023. Grant fund usage for 2022-2023 has been expanded to cover immediate family members of peace officers and we expect increased usage with this expansion of who can utilize funds. The department is also seeking to offer a 24-hour officer wellness app as well as pilot a co-responder juvenile mental health crisis support program with District 27J.
The Brighton Peer Support team consists of 13 members who have completed 40 hours of Colorado Peace Officer Standards Training (P.O.S.T.) to act as peer support members. These peer support members consist of both sworn and nonsworn civilian personnel across all divisions of the police department.
CONCLUSIONS
The Brighton Police Department is requesting the funds be used to continue to cover peer support team supervision, direct counseling for officers and immediate family members, training for new hires, roll call and webinar training and critical incident debriefs.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no additional financial impact to the city as this grant does not have a matching component requirement.
The grant application is for $55,000. The estimated cost breakdown is as follows:
Direct officer and immediate family members counseling services, training and education programs to treat job related mental health trauma - $30000.00
24-hour wellness app - $15000.00
Co-responder juvenile mental health crisis support - $5000.00
Peer Support Team supervision and critical incident debriefs - $2500.00
Training, wellness webinars, new hire peer support team education - $2500.00
OPTIONS FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION
1. Approve the resolution.
2. Deny the resolution.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
The Police Department recommends approval of the resolution authorizing the grant application.
ATTACHMENTS
• Resolution
• Peace Officer Mental Health Notice of Funding Available FY 22-23 Final
• Peace officer Mental Health Budget
• Peace Officer Mental Health Support Grant Request 2023 PowerPoint presentation