Harris Announces Justice Department Grant to Salisbury

WASHINGTON, DC: Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) today announced the award of a $100,000 federal grant to the City of Salisbury Police Department. Funds were awarded by the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, and will be used for training in how to respond to mental health related calls for service. Salisbury Police aim to create a model operation to include training both police and mental health providers on how-to co-respond and integrate services (police officer and social worker), which would be the first program of its kind in the region.

Congressman Harris issued the following statement:

"I'm glad that this grant increases, not decreases, the funding to law enforcement. There have been many back and forth discussion at various levels of government on the use of mental health professionals to respond to certain 911 calls. While I remain concerned about possible arbitrary determinations by operators to determine which response is appropriate in an time-sensitive emergency, this pilot program for co-responding to certain calls with police and mental health professionals can be an opportunity to evaluate its efficacy and see whether the needs of those with mental illness are better served. I look forward to hearing the results of this pilot program."

This grant release follows a previous funding announcement from Congressman Harris in October of this year, where multiple police departments, including Salisbury, were awarded funding.

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