City of Fullerton Mayor, Nicholas Dunlap City Council Office Mayor Pro Tem, Fred Jung Shana Charles Bruce Whitaker*

Mental health training for law enforcement officers in Orange County exceeds the State's requirements, resulting in law enforcement applying these skills to better evaluate and handle mental health calls for services. Response: The Respondent agrees with the findings. From January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023, Fullerton Police Officers completed 565.5 hours of mental health training in the following course titles: TRAINING COURSE Homeless Liaison Officer Intervention & De-escalation Techniques for SROs Learning Portal-Autism Recognition and Response Learning Portal-De-Escalation: Enhancing Strategies for Everyday Encounters Learning Portal-Homelessness and Policing: A Collaborative Approach Learning Portal-Media Course-Mental Health: Responding to Individuals in Crisis Mental Health Crisis Intervention I Mental Health Crisis Intervention II Mental Health Crisis Intervention III Mental Health Decision Making Mental Health Intervention Training WIC 5150 Holds - Critical Issue

Law Enforcement agencies in Orange County have developed unique ways to deal with mental health calls in their communities based on their particular needs and budgets, enabling law enforcement to better serve their communities. Response: The Respondent agrees with the findings. The City of Fullerton Police Department (Fullerton PD) partners with the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT) and HOPE Center to have mental health clinicians arrive on mental health calls for service with police officers to help de-escalate the situation and provide resources. Fullerton PD also received $1 million from Orange County Supervisor Doug Chafee's Supervisorial District Discretionary Grant to help fund a two-year pilot Social Worker Program. These licensed clinical social workers will be dispatched alongside or in lieu of police officers in response to mental health crises, domestic violence, or juvenile delinquency.

Law Enforcement collaboration with the County PERT clinicians and Be Well mobile response units has been an effective tool when responding to mental health calls for service. Response: The Respondent agrees with the findings. From January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023, Fullerton Police Department responded to 839 mental health calls for service. These calls were cleared as 5150, 5585, or contained remarks indicating a mental health issue was suspected or referenced in the following call types: 914A (attempted suicide), Welfare Check, Transient Problem, Department Assist, or 415F (Family Disturbance). Of those 839 calls, PERT was dispatched 436 times and conducted 323 evaluations. Additionally, the HOPE Center received 352 referrals from Fullerton PD and made 1,657 outreach contacts.

People with mental illness respond more positively to "soft uniformed" police personnel, which can be effective in de-escalating situations. Response: The Respondent agrees with the findings. The City of Fullerton Police Department (Fullerton PD) partners with the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT) and HOPE Center to have mental health clinicians arrive on mental health calls for service with police officers to help de-escalate the situation and provide resources. Fullerton PD also received $1 million from Orange County Supervisor Doug Chafee's Supervisorial District Discretionary Grant to help fund a two-year pilot Social Worker Program. These licensed clinical social workers will be dispatched alongside or in lieu of police officers in response to mental health crises, domestic violence, or juvenile delinquency.

Providing follow-up case management is not only necessary but critical for the wellbeing of people experiencing mental health issues. Response: The Respondent agrees with the findings. As part of the aforementioned pilot Social Worker Program, licensed clinical workers will focus on crisis response, mediation, referrals to health care providers, treatment plans and case follow-ups in order to help ensure the wellbeing of people experiencing mental health issues in Fullerton.