Mental Health Unit
Our Mission
The mission of the Madison Police Department Mental Health Unit is to provide a coordinated, professional and compassionate police response to individuals affected by mental illness and their families. The Mental Health Unit will work collaboratively with partner agencies to achieve improved outcomes for individuals affected by mental illnesses or suffering a crisis by connecting them to needed services and diverting them away from the criminal justice system whenever possible. The work of the Mental Health Unit will reduce calls for police service related to mental illness issues and will improve safety for officers and all members of the community.
Our Values
- Problem solving: We believe in identifying the underlying issues creating police calls and reducing them.
- Collaboration: We engage with partners from across the government, civil society, families and consumers to improve systems, relationships, and outcomes.
- Diversion: We aim to reduce the involvement of criminal justice in mental health issues and the criminalization of mental illness.
- Professional development: We seek increased knowledge and expertise within the unit and to share our knowledge and experience with the department at large.
Testimonials
"The partnership between Journey Mental Health Center's Crisis Unit and Madison Police is invaluable. It has been inspiring to see a law enforcement agency so dedicated to understanding the individuals that come to their attention. The Madison Police Department, and more specifically the Mental Health Officer Team, has been willing to learn about mental health and non-physical crisis intervention. The work that the Madison Police Department in concert with Journey Mental Health Center's Crisis Team, provides the City of Madison's residents an opportunity to get mental health support in lieu of being incarcerated." -Hannah Flanagan, Director of Emergency Services for Journey Mental Health Center
"Our collaborative relationship with the Madison Police Department to provide intensive CIT training has demonstrated significant improvement in communication, ensuring officer and community safety and helping to connect those in crisis to mental health services." -Lindsay Wallace, Executive Director NAMI Dane County
May 23, 2023 3:03 PM
Amigos en Azul Soccer Series The Soccer Series is a free soccer camp for kids in Dane County. This year, Amigos en Azul will be hosting this event in the City of Verona, Sun Prairie and Madison. Join us on June 10, July 8 and August 19 respectively from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the following …
April 20, 2023 2:30 PM
MPD Pride is a LGBTQ+ resource group comprised of LGBTQ+ employees and allies within the City of Madison Police Department. Our mission is to serve as a resource to employees within MPD by providing education, information, and support. Additionally, we serve as the points of contact for members …
April 6, 2023 1:33 PM
Madison Police Department’s CRASE (Civilian Response to Active Shooter Experience) program is now back up and running. This is offered in two formats: Individualized If your group size is less than 25, registered participants attend the training provided at the Madison Police …