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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.
Law Enforcement
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
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Key Staff

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Sean Justice
Senior Policy Analyst, Behavioral Health
Sean Justice provides technical assistance to Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program grantees and Law Enforcement-Mental Health Learning Sites. Previously, Sean worked with the Institute for Intergovernmental Research in law enforcement and correctional officer safety and wellness. In this role,
...
he supported programs aimed at providing resources and trainings to agencies supporting officer mental wellness. He also worked with the National Gang Center and the STOP School Violence program supporting targeted trainings to law enforcement and school resource officers. He has also served as a parole officer for the state of Tennessee and as a correctional program coordinator for the Tennessee Department of Corrections’ Swift, Certain, and Fair program. Sean holds a MS in forensic psychology and a BS in criminal justice with a focus in forensic psychology from Tiffin University. 
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    • Ernest-Stevens
    Ernest Stevens
    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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