ROCKLAND, Maine — Knox County is launching a new effort to address mental health issues before they become criminal cases. On Tuesday, the county commission unanimously approved a Connect and Protect grant from the U.S. Department of Justice worth $543, 243 dollars.
The funds will last three years and aim to help law enforcement address behavioral health issues in their communities with the goal of reducing risk to people with mental health disorders.
Knox County Sheriff Patrick Polky applied for the grant through the DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Assistance. He hopes the funds will help tackle more long-term issues.
"Some of these problems have been going on for decades, yet we're expected to solve them in an hour or fifteen minutes... it's not going to happen, and you have to be more holistic and more long term… and almost earn [the] trust of the public," Polky said from his office on Friday.
As part of the grant, Knox County will receive two mental health liaisons to serve as an intermediary between police and the community. They'll come from the Volunteers of America, a non-profit dedicated to providing health and social services across the country.
Robyn Goff heads the organization’s Community Justice Division. She hopes the federal money will foster close collaboration between social workers and police.
"It’s really bringing us together," Goff adding that public service professionals are not going to "operate in silos to meet the needs of the community."
Already, Knox County has made an effort to help bridge the gap between law enforcement and those in crisis.
According to Sheriff Polky, all sworn officers are trained in mental health first-aid or crisis intervention training. But even with efforts like this, the statistics are still grim.
Data from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, shows 65,000 adults in Maine did not receive needed mental health care last year. Polky believes the grant will allow the county to stop unnecessary interaction between people and the criminal justice system.
His goal: "How many mental health individuals did we impact so that they didn't have to come to us?"
After the Connect and Protect grant runs out, it will be up to local government to continue any new policing initiatives.