King County Sheriff Co-Response Team
King County Sheriff’s Office
516 Third Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104
Amount Requested: $1,000,000
The requested amount of $1,000,000 will be used by the King County Sheriff’s Office to support a co-response team (CRT) to East King County communities, including Maple Valley, Covington, and Sammamish. This includes cost for a dedicated mental health professional, a dedicated law enforcement officer and vehicle expenses, as well as ancillary expenses (training, uniforms, cell phone, etc). This is a good use of taxpayer funds because given the unfortunate increase in use of Fentanyl in our community, coresponse is a great tool to help with the public health crisis. The CRT includes a trained mental health professional (MHP), supported by both an EMT and a deputy. By responding with the CRT, the person in crisis will get the correct assistance while simultaneously deescalating the encounter by providing options for how to respond (i.e., not solely with an armed officer). Additionally, by having an MHP and EMT respond to calls, that allows law enforcement to prioritize their time for crime response calls and crime prevention.
Federal Nexus: The project has a Federal nexus because the funding provided is for purposes authorized by Section 501 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. § 10152).