This article was originally published by Dallas Morning News on September 8, 2022. Hundreds of officers in Texas have signed up for a new state program that aims to reduce police suicide and self-harm rates by confidentially pairing law enforcement officers in need with peers trained to address mental-health problems, local and state officials announced Thursday.
A mental health program that originated in North Texas is expanding statewide in an effort to save the lives of law enforcement officers. The Blue Chip Program, which can be accessed anonymously, provides no-cost mental health resources to officers.
UNT Dallas; News; Named to Inaugural "Got Your Six" List by Police1; Dustin Schellenger Honored for Dedication to Law Enforcement Mental Health February 17, 2025. In the demanding and often high-stress world of law enforcement, mental health and well-being are critical components of officer success and resilience.
Dr. Thomas D. McNeese, seen on March 7, 2025, in Houston, is in charge of the Behavioral Health Division in the Harris County Sheriff's Office and is focused on law enforcement mental health.
The Texas Law Enforcement Peer Network, launched this spring, is operated by the University of North Texas at Dallas Caruth Police Institute and has helped 46 officers in need so far, said Dustin ...
Purposed to address the behavioral crises of its citizenry, Dallas-based RIGHT Care Unit infuses mental health into law enforcement. A call to 911 is often a coin flip, never knowing whether harm or help will arrive, but this unit looks to remove all doubt. ... With the aid of a licensed professional, paramedic, and trained law enforcement ...
Mental health deputies (MHDs) are peace officers specially trained in crisis intervention through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. MHD programs promote collaboration between law enforcement and the crisis response teams of local mental health authorities and local behavioral health authorities. MHD programs improve the crisis response ...
Starting next Monday in the Dallas Police Department's South Central Patrol Division, a new kind of team will respond to mental health calls placed to 911. Instead of sending just police officers ...
The Blue Chip Program will expand across the state of Texas to provide no-cost mental health resources for law enforcement officers. North Texas police chiefs and leaders say programs, like the ...
An opportunity to share one's experience with one's peers, give and receive support, sessions with law enforcement related mental health professionals utilizing proven trauma recovery methods, and learn coping strategies that will enable recovery from past critical incidents and strengthen one's ability to deal with future incidents ...
Garland Police Department announced that Lieutenant Chris Carker, a 16-year veteran of the force, took his own life in December 2022, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.. According to a 2020 study found on the National Library of Medicine website, researchers sought to observe the prevalence of mental illness in law enforcement officers.Of the 434 police officers observed in the ...
Jennifer Zientz, head of clinical services at the Center for BrainHealth, leads a training session for officers with the Dallas Police Department. Law enforcement is inherently a high-pressure profession. Police officers must routinely make tough decisions, often under extreme stress and/or facing threat of harm. The Center for BrainHealth, part of The University of Texas […]
An initiative to change that in North Texas – the Texas Blue Chip Program, which provides police officers with free and anonymous mental health care – is now expanding statewide. B.J. Wagner, senior vice president of health and public safety at the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, which helps run the program, spoke to the Texas Standard.
To address those issues and the urgent need for solutions, The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute in collaboration with the Caruth Police Institute (CPI) at The University of North Texas at Dallas (UNT Dallas) are launching the Texas Blue Chip Program, a groundbreaking initiative offering law enforcement officers confidential and free ...
Between 7 a.m and 11 p.m., a mental health clinician from Parkland Health and Hospital Systems is stationed in Dallas’ 911 call centers, flagging incoming calls as mental health emergencies.
Law enforcement increasingly likely to avoid mental health calls by Lynn La April 29, 2025 April 28, 2025. ... But, as Lee reports, there will always be a role for well-trained law enforcement officers: When someone in crisis has a weapon or is exceptionally volatile, for instance, and when those who meet the legal criteria for involuntary ...
