Shreveport agencies collaborate to reform crisis response system with new memorandum of understanding

On November 19, 2024By Littum

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) — Shreveport Police Department and the Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse of Northwest Louisiana will be the first agencies to sign a joint memorandum of understanding (MOU) created by Northwest Louisiana Crisis Response Coalition to support the reform of the local emergency response system on Monday.

According to a media release, the Northwest Louisiana Crisis Response Coalition is a community partnership established in 2020 by LSU Health Shreveport and the Shreveport Police Department with the mission of developing a community-based mental health crisis response that ensures public safety, delivers effective treatment, and provides an alternative to arrest or hospitalization , where relevant.

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Officials say the need for this partnership stems from the fact that many 911 calls are for non-criminal concerns, yet law enforcement officers are routinely dispatched to respond, resulting in a potentially harmful mismatch between community needs and resources.

This is stated in the press release national data indicate that 53% to 75% of all calls to 911 do not involve a medical crisis or criminal behavior and therefore have the potential to be resolved with civilian-led support, a crisis response option preferred by individuals with behavioral health needs. Officials say traditional emergency responders may not be able to provide the type of care required for these specific conditions. As a result, the results of 911 calls involving behavioral health issues have often resulted in incarceration or hospitalization.

Officials say in Caddo Parish, there were 299,939 emergency calls to 911 for help in 2023. Each of those calls requires a law enforcement or emergency medical response, but many of those calls don’t involve criminal behavior or medical needs, placing a disproportionate burden on emergency response personnel and further support the need for a mobile emergency response team that can reduce this strain on resources and better assist individuals with behavioral health needs.

CADA has been selected to provide mobile emergency response to Region 7, which includes Caddo, Bossier, Bienville, Claiborne, DeSoto, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine and Webster parishes. To promote utilization of CADA’s crisis services, LSU Health Shreveport convened the Crisis Response Leadership Summit, chaired by Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux and LSU Health Shreveport Chancellor Dr. David Guzick, to strengthen the Crisis Response Partnership’s commitment.

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