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Port Arthur Police Department mental health officers will have a new vehicle to help them with their tasks.
The purchase of the vehicle, a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe, was approved by Port Arthur City Council earlier this week.
The agreement between the city and the Spindletop Center allows the city to be reimbursed for the cost of the undercover patrol unit.
The Spindletop Center received $ 52,505 in its Fiscal 2021 budget to use toward the purchase of the new police vehicle and standard vehicle equipment for the mental health officer, according to city information.
The vehicle will be purchased from Lake Country Chevrolet through Goodbuy Cooperative Purchasing for an amount of $ 40,980.70.
Police Chief Tim Duriso explained that the need for the vehicle is due to mental health workers making house calls.
“They (mental health workers) go out and visit patients, make sure they take their medications, make sure they go to their doctor’s appointments,” Duriso said.
The vehicle will also be used by the trained agent when a person is in crisis.
The partnership between the two entities is in its second year.
Duriso said the department has nine certified mental health officers.
Crisis prevention specialist Tommy Smith, who works with Spindletop, said there had been an increase in calls for this type of help during the pandemic.
“There has been an increase in mental health crises, and significantly among young people,” Smith said. “There has also been an increase in the number of people trying to get on the list of public hospitals for mental health services. “
Smith said Port Arthur Police are a member of ASAP, or the Assistance, Stabilization and Prevention Team.
“They send an agent to work with us,” he said. “It’s a coordinated effort to identify, involve and help people with mental health issues in the community.”
The goal of the PAPD’s mental health unit, according to the city’s website, is to bridge the gap between law enforcement and people with mental illness.
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