Springfield PD Announce Start Date for New Mental Health Unit

The Springfield Police Department announced Tuesday the plan for a new mobile mental health unit next month.

The department’s Mental Health Mobile Response Team will begin responding to calls on September 6.

The unit’s primary job will be assisting officers with non-violent offenders. Officers hope the change will lead to less calls for them to respond to mental health of substance abuse calls, as the response team will be more qualified.

The team’s creation was a collaboration between SPD and Burrell Behavioral Health, and the unit expects to be very busy when they begin.