County of Oakland, MI

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office will use FY24 PACT funding to expand their Crisis Response Unit (CRU), by adding a traveling Co-Responder Mental Health Clinician, a dedicated non-patrol vehicle for the CRU team, and funding for additional overtime for the CRU team. Adding an additional traveling co-responder will allow the CRU team to expand the service area to all of Oakland County, which has a population of 1.2 million residents, and expand service hours, providing more availability for face-to-face crisis intervention, providing referrals to multiple community resources, and communicating resources to individuals and families in need. Expanded program goals also include decreasing response times between calls for services and providing follow up mental health services and resources to the individuals experiencing a mental health crisis, reducing repetitive calls for services to the same individuals by providing mental health services and resources, creating partnerships with local law enforcement agencies to encourage referrals to the CRU team, and educating community members through community events on the availability of the CRU and co-responder team and linking the community to more mental health services and resources. Cohort 2024.

Program Goals

• Expand the service area of the Crisis Response Unit (CRU) to all of Oakland County.
• Expand service hours for the CRU team, providing more availability for face-to-face crisis intervention, providing referrals to multiple community resources and communicating resources to individuals and families in need.
• Decrease response times between calls for service and providing follow-up mental health services and resources to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.
• Reduce repetitive calls for services to the same individuals by providing mental health services and resources and create partnerships with local law enforcement agencies to encourage referrals to the CRU team.
• Educate community members through community events on the availability of the CRU and co-responder team and link the community to more mental health services and resources.

Key Partnership Organizations

Oakland Community Health Network | CIT Oakland

Learn More

Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) | Oakland CHN, MI

Oakland County Sheriff’s Crisis Response Unit saves life during house call

“We continue to evolve and adapt to changing circumstances. This proactive crisis intervention team is another step forward for us as an agency and a community. As my grandma used to say, ‘The proof is in the pudding.’ I know in this case, the proof from this new effort is a saved life.” (Mid-Michigan NOW, May 19th 2023)

Michael Bouchard
Oakland County Sheriff