BEAVER COUNTY, Pa. — Mental health is an issue law enforcement agencies face daily across the country and Beaver County is no exception.
“Mental health calls are increasing, and there are times where they don’t really meet the criteria, they won’t hurt themselves or someone else — so involuntary commitment isn’t possible. They haven’t committed a crime either, so we’re stuck in this middle ground,” said Chief Michael Priolo of the Beaver Valley Regional Police Department. “How do we handle this? How do we move forward?”
A new statewide initiative from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office aims to fill that gap.
The Law Enforcement Treatment Initiative (LETI) is expanding to include a mental health component, training local officers on how to identify signs of mental health struggles and substance use and how to connect individuals to appropriate treatment options.
“It’s a fantastic idea, and quite frankly, it should have happened a long time ago, especially with the uptick in mental health issues in the area,” Priolo added.
Originally launched under then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro, LETI focused solely on substance abuse. Only Butler and Fayette counties initially participated in Western Pennsylvania. But with the mental health component now added, the program is expanding across the state.
Beaver County District Attorney Nate Bible said the program empowers local officers to better serve their communities.
“LETI lets law enforcement make that decision on their own before filing charges,” Bible said. “For example, if they encounter someone who isn’t violent, isn’t causing problems, but has ongoing drug issues instead of charging them, officers can say, ‘Let’s get you some help.’”
The initiative will not add extra costs to the county, as mental health and substance use resources are already in place. Beaver County officials hope to have all officers trained by this winter.
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