Behavioral Assessment Team
Mobile Crisis Team

The Baltimore County Crisis Response System (BCCRS), which has been awarded the National Association of Counties Award for innovative police services, is a collaborative program between the Baltimore County Police Department, the Baltimore County Health Department and Affiliated Sante Group.  The cooperative partnership is designed to provide comprehensive crisis intervention services to persons in a mental health crisis.  The program, which became operational in July 2001, consists of a telephone hotline (410-931-2214), Home Intervention Team, Urgent Care Clinic, Critical Incident Stress Management and Mobile Crisis Team.  The Mobile Crisis Team pairs a mental health clinician with a police officer to provide emergency police response to persons in need of crisis intervention.  This team works in the eastern portion of Baltimore County covering the Parkville, Whitemarsh, Essex and Northpoint police precincts. 

System goals

• Create a partnership with the mental health and police systems,
• Develop an accessible, coordinated and comprehensive system of psychiatric emergency services
• Fill service gaps identified in the emergency system.
• Appropriately divert persons who have mental illness from the 911 emergency system and hospital emergency departments.
• Link frequent mental health consumers to the mental health system.
• Reduce police time on calls associated with mental health consumers.
• Increase disposition and treatment options for police officers responding to crisis calls.
• Increase overall treatment satisfaction for mental health consumers.

System Components

• A 24-hour Operations Center that is staffed by mental health professionals to conduct telephonic assessments, triage, information/referral and suicide prevention/intervention.
• In-Home Intervention Teams (IHIT)- This mental health crisis team is comprised of mental health clinicians, with police back up when necessary, to stabilize a crisis, decrease the risk for unnecessary hospitalization and refer persons in crisis to the appropriate resources.
• Urgent Care Clinic- Urgent appointments are appropriate for individuals who would benefit from an emergency, one-time assessment by a licensed therapist or psychiatrist.  Appointments are available during evenings and weekends, when traditional outpatient mental health services are unavailable.
• Critical Incident Stress Management Team staffed by volunteers who partner with the Police Department's Critical Incidents Support Team.
• Mobile Crisis Teams (MCT)- Police officers and Masters level clinicians are paired together in an unmarked police car and wear plain clothes (khaki pants, black polo shirts).  The team is available 16 hours a day, seven days per week and serves a portion of Baltimore County that has the highest number of mental health crises.  The mobile crisis team provides on-site, immediate response to a person in crisis.  They conduct a mental health assessment; provide crisis resolution, family education, information and linkage for individuals in need.  The mobile crisis team receives calls through 911 as well as the operations center hotline.  The teams handle between 50 and 70 calls each month.

You may contact the Behavioral Assessment Unit, Mobile Crisis Team by calling Lieutenant Steve Gossage or Officer Cathy Batton at 410-931-2145.

Revised August 31, 2006