Law Enforcement
Increasingly, law enforcement officers are the first, and often the only, responders to calls involving people with behavioral health needs. Our team works with communities across the country to support law enforcement leaders and officers to improve their responses to this growing population.
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In October 2020, Bexar County, Texas, officials launched the Specialized Multidisciplinary Alternate…
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In this video, Chief Ron Thomas of the Denver Police Department (DPD)…
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This handbook is designed to guide project coordinators through the process of…
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With support of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the University of Cincinnati…
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PMHC programs support law enforcement agencies around the country in planning and…
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The Law Enforcement-Mental Health Learning Site Program serves as a peer-to-peer learning…
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We want officers to have the resources they need to effectively respond to people in crisis, which is why our department has partnered with local homeless and health systems to build out community services, increasing the chances of success for the people we encounter most frequently and reducing the burden on our officers.
Gordon Ramsay
Chief, Wichita Police Department, Kansas
News & Analysis
October 27, 2025
The CSG Justice Center has partnered with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime…
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July 7, 2025
As the Stepping Up initiative marks its 10th year, America’s justice and…
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June 6, 2025
On May 30, 2025, the White House released the budget request for…
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May 27, 2025
A bipartisan group of 66 lawmakers, led by Congressmen Don Bacon (R-NE)…
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March 3, 2025
Governors emphasized a wide range of criminal justice and behavioral health initiatives…
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December 13, 2024
It would hardly be controversial to expect an ambulance to arrive if…
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Deputy Division Director, Behavioral Health
Ernest
Stevens
oversees
the
portfolio
of
work
focused
on
improving
outcomes
for
people
experiencing
behavioral
health
conditions
and
homelessness
who
encounter
law
enforcement.
Ernest
supports
communities
in
adopting,
implementing,
and
evaluating
new
practices.
Previously,
Ernest
spent
over
28
years
in
...
law
enforcement
helping
develop
new
programs
and
policies
for
the
San
Antonio
Police
Department.
He
also
worked
as
a
program
manager
for
the
Southwest
Texas
Regional
Advisory
Council
that
oversees
emergency
operations
for
22
counties
in
Texas.
Ernest
was
featured
in
the
Emmy
Award-winning
documentary
Ernie
and
Joe:
Crisis
Cops.
Ernest
also
wrote
Mental
Health
and
De-Escalation:
A
Guide
for
Law
Enforcement
Professionals.
He
earned
his
BS
in
criminal
justice
from
Wayland
Baptist
University.
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Deputy Division Director, Behavioral Health
Sarah
Wurzburg
oversees
technical
assistance
focused
on
behavioral
health,
diversion,
and
reentry
and
serves
as
the
lead
for
projects
related
to
substance
use,
mental
illnesses,
and
housing.
She
leads
the
work
on
the
development
of
community
responder
programs,
including
a
...
toolkit
that
supports
sites
in
development
of
non-police
responses
to
people
in
crisis.
Previously,
Sarah
was
a
research
analyst
at
the
National
Association
of
State
Alcohol
and
Drug
Abuse
Directors,
Inc.,
where
she
was
the
team
lead
for
Youth
and
Women’s
Services
and
was
the
primary
author
of
research
reports
on
youth
substance
use
disorder
treatment,
driving
under
the
influence,
and
Medicaid.
Sarah
has
also
worked
as
a
juvenile
court
advocate
and
in
community
substance
use
disorder
prevention.
She
received
her
BA
from
DePauw
University
in
English
(writing)
and
her
MA
in
social
services
administration
with
a
focus
on
policy
analysis
from
the
University
of
Chicago.
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Former Senior Policy Analyst, Behavioral Health
Ethan
Aaronson
provided
technical
assistance
to
Justice
and
Mental
Health
Collaboration
Program
grantees
and
Law
Enforcement-Mental
Health
Learning
Sites.
Prior
to
joining
the
CSG
Justice
Center,
Ethan
worked
at
the
Walter
Rand
Institute
for
Public
Affairs,
where
he
assessed
how
...
well
local
governments
met
the
human
service
needs
of
residents.
He
also
was
the
data
manager
for
a
project
that
supported
individuals
with
co-occurring
diagnoses
in
reentry.
Previously,
he
was
a
counselor
in
New
Jersey
and
Oregon,
helping
young
men
prepare
for
their
return
home
after
completing
probation
or
parole.
Ethan
earned
BAs
in
political
science
and
history
from
the
University
of
Vermont
and
his
MA
in
criminal
justice
from
Rutgers
University.
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