Denver Police Department

Total number of agency personnel: 1,832
Sworn: 1,509
Civilian: 323

Total population served: 780,000

Jurisdiction: City and County of Denver, Colorado

• Crisis Intervention Response Unit (CIRU): The CIRU works to expand the range of law enforcement and behavioral health strategies to meet the needs of people with behavioral/mental health concerns in Denver. It includes a co-responder program that teams up clinically certified social workers with Denver Police Department (DPD) patrol officers to respond to calls for service involving people in crisis, and it consists of a partnership between Denver Human Services’ Office of Behavioral Health Strategies, DPD, and WellPower (a mental health center in Denver). Clinicians in the co-responder program are able to make on the spot referrals and appointments for follow-up behavioral health services.
• Outreach Case Coordinator (OCC): DPD’s OCCs are civilian social workers and resource navigators who connect people to both governmental and non-governmental supports. OCCs receive referrals from Denver police patrol officers, with the intention of providing long-term case management for people who need help that is beyond the scope of an immediate police response.
• Assessment, Intake, & Diversion (AID) Center: The AID center is an alternative to jail for people arrested for low level, nonviolent charges, with an emphasis on people who officers frequently encounter. People who are arrested can choose to be processed through the AID center rather than the jail. The AID center is staffed by an OCC and WellPower clinicians. People brought into the center are given access to behavioral health and housing options with the overall goal of eliminating their involvement in the criminal justice process.
• Support Team Assisted Response (STAR): The STAR program deploys emergency response teams that include emergency medical technicians and behavioral health clinicians who provide aid for people experiencing crises related to mental health issues, poverty, homelessness, and substance use, all with the goal of connecting people to supports and limiting justice system involvement. The creation of STAR brought DPD, city stakeholders, and members of the community together to develop a plan for how the new community response team would operate. DPD worked with Denver 9-1-1 Communications to identify STAR appropriate calls and integrate STAR response into the existing dispatch system. While the program now is under the supervision of the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, DPD officers are always available to respond if a call for STAR service ends up requiring police presence.

Website: Denver Police Department

Chris Richardson LCSW, CAS
Director of the Crisis Service Division
Denver Police Department
1331 Cherokee, Denver CO, 80204
720-641-0091
chris.richardson@denvergov.org

Sergeant Stacy Schantz
Office of the Chief of Police
Denver Police Department
1331 Cherokee St.
Denver, CO 80204
(720) 913-6717
Stacy.Schantz@denvergov.org

Sergeant Kimberly Trudel
Office of the Chief of Police
Denver Police Department
1331 Cherokee St.
Denver, CO 80204
(720) 913-6719
Kimberly.Trudel@denvergov.org