INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis city government plans to expand its Clinician-Led Community Response program to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s north district.

The team will start taking calls at the St. George apartments this month before expanding to the whole North District next year.

City leaders said Monday that they expanded the program to 24-7 in IMPD’s downtown and east districts earlier this year. The program will expand its operations to the north district in early 2025.

Licensed behavioral health professionals operate the program to provide short-term and non-police assistance to people in crisis.

Leaders say the Clinician-Led Community Response (CLCR) program keeps police from responding to mental health emergencies.

Andrea Brown, the director of operations for Stepping Stones Therapy Center, said Monday, “Through it all, safety and support remain at the heart of CLCR’s mission. Our team is thoroughly trained to handle a range of situations in ways that honor a person’s experience and maintain their dignity. With every call we’ve answered, our goal is to help resolve the immediate crisis in a way that is respectful and safe. We’ve had a great year of progress. However, it is clear that our work is far from over.”

The city said this team has taken 925 calls and assisted 650 people since Jan. 1.

Ron Gibson, a Democrat on the Indianapolis-Marion County City-County Council, said Monday, “I know firsthand how important programs like this are. I’ve experienced family members in a behavioral health crisis, and they can be traumatic for all involved. But when you have an experienced professional show up, it makes all the difference in the world.”

This team started operating in IMPD’s downtown district on July 1, 2023. The goal was to help people with mental health issues and substance use disorders.

The city expanded its services to the east district on Feb. 5.

Leaders had a news conference to announce the expansion on Monday morning at Raphael Health Center, 401 E. 34th St. According to a news release in advance, participants in the news conference included Mayor Joe Hogsett; Alexis Weaver, assistant director of social determinants of health with Office of Public Health and Safety; Brown; and Niki Wattson, street outreach manager and Professional Blended Street Outreach coordinator for Horizon House.

A second news release was issued a few hours after the news conference.

This story was created in part from a script aired on WISH-TV.

Mental health resources

• Be Well Indiana
• Indiana Suicide Prevention
• Indiana Department of Child Services’ Children’s Mental Health Initiative
• National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988 or 800-273-8255
• More resources