Dunwoody officials give nod to police co-responder post

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

DUNWOODY, Ga. — Dunwoody police may soon have regular access to a mental health specialist during crisis calls.

The City Council gave preliminary approval March 13 for a contract with the DeKalb Community Service Board to hire a licensed behavioral health clinician as a “co-responder” assisting Dunwoody and Doraville police in situations involving mental health issues and drug abuse.

For several months in 2022, the City of Dunwoody had great success with a similar position, after contracting with View Point Health for a co-responder employee, Dunwoody Deputy Police Chief Michael Carlson told city councilmembers.

“The officers that were out there thought this was just an extremely valuable service, due to the mental health situation that we have,” Carlson said

Unfortunately, he said, the contract was canceled in November after a new state law was passed, making local community service boards in Georgia responsible for providing co-responder services.

Under the new contract, Doraville and Dunwoody would share one fulltime clinician, stationed at the Dunwoody Police Department, and funded by the DeKalb Community Service Board and the two cities.

The DeKalb Community Service Board would contribute $33,400 to- ward the position for the first year and $16,600 the second year, while the cities would share a percentage of the cost based on their populations.

During the first year, Dunwoody would be responsible for 83 percent of the position’s costs, or $81,020. Doraville will pay $16,653, or 17 percent. Dunwoody’s portion of the cost would be paid for through American Rescue Plan Act funding.

“It's really important,” Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch said. “It's a great use of our resources.”

With the co-responder position, police officers in Dunwoody are more likely to respond effectively in the various and complicated situations they regularly face, Carlson said.

“I've been in law enforcement 25 years, and the way we handle mental health crises then and the way we handle them now is completely different,” he said. “We didn't know what to do with them a long time ago and a lot of times it was just, ‘lock them up, put them in jail.’ That's not the answer.”

Once the new position is filled and active, the co-responder will be both proactive and reactive, responding to mental health calls with police officers and conducting check-ins with individuals known to be in need.

Because there’s no telling when mental health-related situations arise, Carlson said the department will set up methods for online communications from the specialist’s location.

“She could actually FaceTime when

Sandy Springs Christian Church plans community recycling event

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs Christian Church on Johnson Ferry Road will host a free document shredding and electronics recycling event for the community Saturday, April 22.

From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., residents can bring up to four boxes of documents to the church for secure shredding and recycling. During the event, electronics like computers, printers and other household electronics will also be accepted for recycling. Monitors and TVs will be accepted for an additional fee.

This event will be hosted by Sandy Springs Church, in partnership with the National Association of Professional Organizers, EcoShredding and Data Delete Recycle in honor of Earth Day 2023.

Those interested in participating are asked to ensure that all documents intended for shredding are free of paper clips, staples and binding materials.

Sandy Springs Christian Church is at 301 Johnson Ferry Road in Sandy Springs. For more information, visit sandyspringscc.org.

we arrive at the scene and provide a 1013, which is a medical hold,” he said, speaking about their experience with View Point Health in 2022. “She would sign that for somebody remotely and make sure they get to the appropriate facility.”

Today, Dunwoody police officers are much better equipped to deal with mental health issues, thanks to an emphasis on de-escalation training and a new focus on getting people the help they need. But Carlson said they never know what they’re going to need help with, so having a professional on call is always wise.

“Our officers are very well trained in handling these situations but … there's no such thing as a routine mental health call,” he said.

Deutsch said no money will be needed for the program until the DeKalb Community Service Board hires a candidate to fill the role. Because officials aren’t sure yet whether one person will be able to meet the needs of both cities, the program will likely be reexamined regularly.

“This is DeKalb’s choice for us to share,” she said. “So, in a reasonable amount of time, which will be six months or more, if we find that it's just not working, let's revisit it with the community Service Board.”

No vote was taken on the item by the city council at this meeting, however, it will return as a consent agenda item at the council’s next meeting Monday, March 27.

Financial adviser earns Award of Excellence

ROSWELL, Ga. — David Wash, CPA, was recently recognized with the 2022 Award of Excellence by Strategic Planning Group. This award signifies a consistently high level of production in the financial services industry.

"David has been a consistent contributor to our organization for many years,” Strategic Planning Group's Tomas Parks said. “I am also proud of the significant impact David has had advising his clients about their financial future.”