Summary
- Cleveland’s crisis intervention team members and co-responder teams are growing.
- Training ramp-up: 12 officers and two dispatchers graduated in August; Cleveland Police in-service crisis intervention team training runs from Sept. 22 to Dec 30.
- A U.S. Department of Justice/Police Monitoring Team crisis intervention assessment is completed and expected to be filed with federal court in the next week or two.
- Policy review will proceed regarding arrestee medical and mental-health needs, protocols with outside agencies (interagency coordination), and updates required due to the Cuyahoga County Diversion Center closure.
- Two draft recommendations regarding community engagement are headed for a vote at the next meeting.
- Several vacancies remain on the committee (positions representing advocacy organizations, area hospitals, relevant mental health organizations, and interested community members); outreach will include someone representing the non-police alternative response model.
Follow-Up Questions
- Filling vacancies and representation. What’s the timeline and criteria to fill the four to six open seats (especially people representing area hospitals and advocacy organizations)—and how will the committee ensure at least one seat is reserved for a non-police alternative response provider (for example, behavioral health urgent care at The Centers) so those models are formally represented?
- Policy/MOU review workflow. Will the small group produce a short, red-lined summary of recommended changes and a connection to existing memorandum of understandings? Do members have access to the relevant general police orders (GPOs) and current MOUs, and how will references to the now-closing Diversion Center be updated with interim pathways to diversion?
- Data transparency and outcomes. When will the “cleaned” 2025 crisis intervention team (CIT) numbers be available, and can the Mental Health Response Advisory Committee (MHRAC) publish a simple public dashboard showing information by police district and call type (for example, CIT on-scene percentage, time-to-CIT, co-responder handoffs, diversion vs. arrest outcomes) so the community can track progress? [Editor’s note: The City of Cleveland has a CIT dashboard as part of its Open Data portal, but 2025 data isn’t included.]
Facilitator: Angela Cecys (Cleveland’s senior strategist for public safety and health)
Purpose: Member introductions, membership updates, program/unit updates, policy review planning, community engagement recommendations, subcommittee reports.
The meeting began at 9:02 a.m. on Zoom, facilitated by Cecys. Attendance was taken, and several new members introduced themselves.
Attendees mentioned by Cecys:
- Madison Gryder — Cleveland Department of Public Health’s Division of Health Equity & Social Justice. Gryder is a behavioral outreach specialist with the Office of Mental Health and Addiction Recovery).
- Detective Dominique Hardy — co-responder unit
- Lydia Hill-Grant — Health Equity/Public Health department
- Jalina Lockhart — Cleveland EMS
- Dr. Meg Testa, medical director of FrontLine Service
Cecys asked attendees to put names/affiliations in the Zoom chat. Rick Oliver, director of crisis services from FrontLine, also attended.
MHRAC membership status and vacancies
Current vacancies (4-6 total).
Cecys provided an update on membership, explaining that there are currently several vacancies: One representing county mental health organizations, up to three representing advocacy organizations, one from area hospitals, and one representing interested community members.
Some current members have recently switched jobs and may not continue on the committee. Madelaine Matej MacQueen, for example, is leaving the Mental Health Addiction Advocacy Coalition for Policy Matters Ohio, so MacQueen’s eligibility to serve as a representative of an advocacy organization is in question. Loh, a committee member and community advocate, said MacQueen may still qualify. Committee Member Jenni Bartholomew switched roles and is no longer with Partnership for a Safer Cleveland.
The group discussed the importance of representation from non-police alternative response models and behavioral health urgent care providers. Suggestions included reaching out to The Centers (with Keelin Spear as a contact). Cecys agreed to follow up with potential candidates.
Co-responder/CIT unit update (Cleveland Police Lt. John Mullin, crisis intervention coordinator)
Mullin reported on the CIT and co-responder unit. Co-responder staffing is expanding with two new officers and a clinician joining this month, bringing the total to eight full co-responder teams, with the goal of reaching 10 by early next year. There is an offer in line for an eighth clinician, who would start in November.
Police Districts 2, 3 and 4 will have double coverage (day and afternoon shifts), while Districts 1 and 5 will maintain one team each. That is based on call volume data.
Training is ongoing with 176 officers currently SCIT trained (specialized crisis intervention training); 16 dispatchers trained, and 12 new graduates added in August. Of the 176, 130 are on patrol and 46 are in specialized units, including co-response. A citywide figure showed that SCIT officers have been present on 54.59% of all CIT calls this year, a number that continues to trend upward. This is pending data cleanup.
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Mullin also noted a new commander, Ian Mussell, leading CDP’s Bureau of Compliance & Technology.
Mullin and CDP Detective Connor Lynch participated in the CIT International Conference in Anaheim, California, in August.
Also, Mullin said Sgt. Matt Brown completed the FBI Crisis Negotiation course; there are now five CIT team members who have received that training. An in-service training program on officer wellness is scheduled to begin Sept. 22 and run through December.
A survey for next year’s topics saw 173 responses (top result: officer wellness).
Mullin said a U.S. Department of Justice/Police Monitoring Team CIT assessment is completed and expected to be filed with federal court in the next week or two.
Policy & MOU review plan
The meeting then turned to MHRAC’s review of Cleveland Police policies and memorandum of understanding. Cecys said a recent survey showed that nearly all of MHRAC’s appointed members support reviewing not just core CIT policies but also CIT-adjacent ones. The highest priorities identified were policies regarding the medical and mental health needs of arrested individuals, protocols with outside agencies, and language related to the Cuyahoga County Diversion Center, which is closing.
A discussion followed about the relationship between policies and Cleveland Police agreements with partner agencies. Leigh Anderson, leader of Cleveland’s Police Accountability Team, clarified that policy usually comes first and agreements align afterward.
MHRAC decided to use a hybrid approach, forming a small working group for deeper review while keeping the full body engaged through surveys and updates. Volunteers were invited to join the review effort.
New draft recommendations (from MHRAC’s Community Engagement Subcommittee)
Cecys then presented two new draft recommendations from the Community Engagement Subcommittee.
The first is a CIT social media toolkit recommending that CDP establish a process for posting about CIT and behavioral health on social platforms to increase transparency and public trust.
The second is a recommendation for CIT officers and co-responders to participate in community events such as NAMIWalks and rotating district events to provide education and build relationships.
Mullin cautioned that members cannot commit to every suggested event, and he confirmed that officers are required to remain armed while working, though social workers on the team are not. The recommendation had called for officers to be unarmed and in pared-down uniforms at the events.
Both recommendations will be refined with feedback before a vote at the next full MHRAC meeting, Cecys said.
Subcommittee reports
Subcommittee updates followed. Mullin, representing the Training Subcommittee, confirmed that SCIT and dispatch training materials had been submitted to the Community Police Commission for review and that the in-service training will start later in September.
Bree Easterling, representing the Youth Subcommittee, announced a focus group planned for Oct. 7 facilitated by Project LIFT and aimed at gathering youth perspectives on interactions with police and aligning feedback with existing policies.
The Data and Growth Subcommittee will now be chaired by Sgt. Brown, Cecys said. A fuller update is expected at the next meeting.
DOJ/Monitoring Update
Anderson said the Police Monitoring Team’s 17th Semiannual Report showed zero downgrades and 20 upgrades regarding CDP’s compliance with the consent decree. Anderson said the report specifically highlights MHRAC’s contributions and collaboration. She emphasized that this progress is being recognized formally in court filings.
Additional items
Additional ideas were raised at the end of the meeting, including Committee Member Josiah Quarles asking for the development of a public handout clarifying when to call 911 and when to call 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Committee Member Larry Heller spoke about including when to call 311 as well.
Heller also spoke about naming a proposed crisis center after Tanisha Anderson.
The meeting concluded with agreements to move forward with the policy review, finalize draft recommendations, and continue outreach to fill vacancies. Updates on data, youth engagement, and community participation will be revisited at the November meeting.
Meeting adjourned 10:02 a.m.
Update: This article was updated to correct the spelling of Lt. John Mullin’s last name.
These notes are by Documenter Moneak Jones.
If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalcleveland.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.