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PMHC programs support law enforcement agencies around the country in planning and implementing effective public safety responses to people who have mental illnesses.
Police-Mental Health Collaboration (PMHC)

Law enforcement agencies have used police-mental health collaboration (PMHC) programs to help officers safely and effectively respond to calls for service involving people with mental illnesses for decades.

In 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) launched an online toolkit in partnership with the CSG Justice Center that supports law enforcement agencies around the country in planning and implementing effective public-safety responses to people who have mental illnesses.

The PMHC Toolkit outlines the overall benefits of PMHC programs in five sections: learning about PMHC programs; planning and implementing; training; managing; and measuring.

In 2020, the CSG Justice Center launched the PMHC Self-Assessment tool to help law enforcement agencies and their behavioral health partners assess their progress toward implementing high quality partnership-based interventions. This tool is designed to provide resources to help improve responses to calls for service for people with mental illnesses and/or co-occurring substance use conditions.

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Key Staff

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
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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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Carleigh Sailon
Project Manager, Behavioral Health
Carleigh Sailon manages Law Enforcement-Mental Health Learning Sites and oversees the team that provides technical assistance to grantees who are developing alternative response and law enforcement diversion programs. Carleigh is a licensed clinical social worker and a licensed addiction counselor
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who has an extensive history working in community behavioral health. Before joining the CSG Justice Center, Carleigh worked for a large behavioral health provider in Denver where she created and managed programs throughout the criminal justice system that helped improve outcomes for individuals living with mental illness and co-occurring disorders. She is also known for her work developing and implementing Denver’s Co-Responder and STAR programs. Carleigh earned her BA in sociology from Long Island University and her MSW from Stony Brook University.
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Ethan headshot
Ethan Aaronson
Senior Policy Analyst, Behavioral Health
Ethan Aaronson provides 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
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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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