Mental Health Division

Newsletter 2017 Autumn Edition

There were many agencies, organizations, and volunteers that worked alongside the

Mental Health Division that deserve recognition for their support to the citizens of

Houston. The City thanks them for their partnership.

Hurricane Harvey

MHD Secures Shelter

The Mental Health Division coordinated the se-

curity for the George R. Brown Emergency Shel-

ter the day after the hurricane. Mental Health

officers provided security for the Red Cross Shel-

ter and various governmental and non-

governmental operations inside. MHD’s CIRT

officers and clinicians provided 24 hour Crisis

Response for persons that went into mental

health crisis while seeking services in the shelter.

Foundations Who Supported HOT Receive HPD Awards

Personnel Changes

Representatives from The Simmons Foundation, The Frees Foundation, and the

Herzstein Foundation received Humanitarian Awards from the Houston Police

Department for their support of the Homeless Outreach Team.

From Left to Right:

Assistant Chief Wendy E. Baimbridge, Kim Kornmayer (The Harris Center), Officer John Vogel-

sang, Officer Theresa Gonzalez (Metro PD), Amber Honsinger (The Harris Center), Amanda

Cloud President and CEO of The Simmons Foundation, Sergeant Steve Wick, Deidre Kimble-

Charles (The Harris Center), Cami West Puentes (The Harris Center), Ashley Mullins (The Harris

Center), Officer Karan Dhooper, Officer Colin Mansfield, Officer Shelton Theragood, and Retired

Officer Jaime Giraldo.

The past year has had significant changes to the fac-

es in our division. Since Assistant Chief Wendy

Baimbridge’s recent promotion, day to day over-

sight of the Mental Health Division has been as-

signed to our new commander, Captain Bill Staney

as of March 2017.

Lieutenant Patrick Plourde returned to the division

in October of 2017, replacing Lieutenant Cheryl

Southwell who transferred to Citywide DRT.

Senior Justice Assessment Center Opens

The Houston Police Department sent several officers and civilians from our programs to attend the Texas CIT Confer-

ence in South Padre.

Several units presented on our programs. Officer Jason Garcia of our special projects gave a presentation with Lilian

Ortiz and Jennifer Battle of the Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD on the Crisis Call Diversion Program. This

program is the first of its kind and allows crisis counselors to take calls unrelated to police work or crisis that are associ-

ated with mental illness. If the call does not involve crime, crisis, or violence, the counselor will attempt to handle the

call without dispatching a patrol unit. The program has been in operation for a little over a year. The Homeless Out-

reach Team’s Officer Colin Mansfield, Sergeant Steve Wick, and case manager Cami West also presented on the Home-

less Outreach Team’s response to the mentally ill.

In the Spring, the Senior Justice Assessment Center (SJAC) officially

opened for business. SJAC aims to improve, preserve, and protect the well

-being of vulnerable senior victims of crime. Similar to Children’s Assess-

ment Center, SJAC will aid law enforcement investigators with the effi-

ciency of handling their cases involving 65 and older.

SJAC is a multi-disciplinary panel, including geriatric specialists, forensic

nurses, the district attorney’s office, APS, and other agencies involved in

servicing elders. The panel can be arranged based on the investigator’s

needs and will provide documents and facts the investigator would ordinari-

ly have to seek.

For more information on this program, or to make a referral, visit https://hcps.harriscountytx.gov/Our-

Services/Adult-Services/SJAC, or contact our liaison: Jason.Garcia@houstonpolice.org

International CIT Conference 2017

Texas CIT Conference 2017

Representatives of the Houston Police Department’s Mental Health Division,

including Captain Bill Staney, Sergeant Steve Wick, Officer Colin Mansfield, Of-

ficer Rebecca Skillern, and Officer David Rose attended the most recent CIT

Conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Pictured to the right is the presentation,

“Crime and Crisis” that Officers Skillern and Rose presented there. This presen-

tation focused on scenarios where crime and crisis situations intersect. The

presentation also discussed jail diversions, arrests, and when they are appropri-

ate, providing several anecdotal examples.

Assistant Chief Baimbridge presenting on SJAC

Pioneer of HPD’s CIT Program Retires From The Department

S enior Police Officer (SPO) Frank Webb is a

36-year veteran of the Houston Police De-

partment (HPD). For the past twenty-six

years he worked in the field of crisis inter-

vention, which trains police officers to more appro-

priately and humanely respond to incidents involv-

ing individuals in mental health crises. This mission

has grown in significance in HPD. In fact, SPO

Webb has been critical in the development and suc-

cess of the program from its origins as a Crisis Inter-

vention Team (CIT) to the development of the Men-

tal Health Unit to becoming what is now the Mental

Health Division (MHD).

The mission of the Mental Health Division is to pro-

vide a professional, safe and human response to in-

dividuals with mental health problems and to the

homeless population in Houston. SPO Webb has

made that possible because of his passion for the

mental health cause and his collaborative effort to

bring together the resources of social services and

nonprofit organizations to work cohesively to

achieve this common goal. It is evident that SPO

Webb has great dedication and concern for both the

law enforcement community and the citizens we

serve. His impact has been profound. The Houston

Police Department is proud to express its gratitude

for his 36 years of dedication and service.

Retired Senior Police Officer Frank Webb is now currently employed as the Project Manager for the Office

of Mental Health Policy and Jail Diversion Projects at the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

Mental Health Division Contact

Call 832.394.4200 or visit HoustonCIT.org