In a few months when Raleigh, NC, police respond to a person in a mental health crisis, a social worker may head out with a police officer.
And the team will then follow up to connect some of those people with the help they need from nonprofits and community groups, the News & Observer reports.
Raleigh Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown described the new, planned police unit during a City Council meeting Tuesday afternoon.
The eight-person team will have a supervising sergeant, a detective, three social workers and three police officers, said Deck-Brown.
She hopes to hire and train the new team by the end of the year.
