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Weekly roundup

This Week in Crisis Intervention and Jail Diversion

This week's roundup spans crisis response and jail diversion from staffing to funding gaps: Oneida County trained 50 dispatchers and crisis responders in mental health response, the Rockbridge and Bath Regional CIT program graduated new instructors, and Clarksville Police flagged over 1,300 mental health calls this year while pointing residents to 988 and local resources. Elsewhere, San Francisco's 50-year-old Pretrial Diversion Project is shutting down with no ready replacement, while Westborough saw arrests, crashes, and jail diversion assists all decline in July.

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Crisis Intervention Team

Oneida County has completed specialized crisis intervention training for its 911 dispatchers and crisis service providers to improve mental health response and community safety.

The Rockbridge and Bath Regional Crisis Intervention Team program added new graduate instructors, expanding its ability to train law enforcement and first responders in de-escalation and connecting people in crisis to mental health resources.

Clarksville Police say they've responded to more than 1,300 mental health-related calls this year, including 822 involving suicidal threats or attempts, and are highlighting their 70 CIT-trained officers along with 911, 988, and local crisis resources for residents seeking help.

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A Gap

The San Francisco Pretrial Diversion Project, which for 50 years helped ensure released defendants returned to court, will shut down by November 13 after losing its city contract following a financial mismanagement scandal. Mayor Daniel Lurie sided with the courts against the nonprofit, funding it only through a shortened one-year contract while the court-run Adult Probation Department takes over, though Probation missed its original July target and now isn't expected to be ready until 2027.

The nonprofit has already begun winding down services, laid off staff, and plans to stop taking new cases September 30, leaving a gap that judges, the sheriff, and even the Superior Court itself say could increase pretrial detention, no-shows, and recidivism. Critics also worry that shifting these duties to a law-enforcement-adjacent agency raises concerns about tracking people not yet convicted of any crime. With roughly 1,800 defendants previously served by the nonprofit's case management and social services, legal observers warn the disorderly transition could worsen homelessness, drug use, and mental health crises on San Francisco's streets.

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Stats

Westborough police reported declines across most activity categories in July compared to June, including fewer arrests, traffic accidents, and total calls handled. The department logged 14 arrests, 26 criminal summonses, 188 incident reports, 50 traffic accidents, 496 traffic stops, six jail diversion program assists, and 2,468 total calls for the month. Arrests fell from 21 in June to 14, traffic accidents dropped from 75 to 50, and jail diversion assists declined sharply from 24 to six. Traffic stops ticked up slightly, from 495 to 496, while incident reports and criminal summonses saw small decreases. Overall, total calls fell by 98 compared to June's 2,566.

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