week 8

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Stage 4: Action Planning – MHCRT Program

Travis Mccalman

Columbia College

Professor Ziegle

MSCJ 524 – CJ Policy Development and Evaluation

4/7/26

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Stage 4: Action Planning – MHCRT Program

A. Identification of Resources and Cost Projections

Introduction of the Mental Health Crisis Response Team (MHCRT) program is successful,

provided that the identification of resources and practical costs is carried out cautiously. This

program will provide on-site and immediate crisis intervention in the form of collaboration

between law enforcement officers and licensed mental health clinicians (Welsh & Harris, 2016).

To do this, there is a need to allocate resources in personnel, training, equipment, and operational

requirements.

The biggest and most critical part of the budget is personnel, owing to the expertise needed.

The plan will employ four trained police officers on crisis assignment and place them on MHCRT

employment with an annual pay of approximately 70,000 dollars, equaling 280,000. Further, there

will be four licensed mental health clinicians whose pay rate will be approximately 65 thousand

dollars each, and the total will be 260,000 dollars. These clinicians are very important in carrying

out assessment, de-escalation, and coordination of care. A program coordinator will oversee

everyday operations, partnerships, and reporting, and will receive approximately 85,000/year. It

will also have two administrative support employees at $45,000 each, and this will be 90,000.

Fringe benefits that would add to an estimated 25 percent of total salaries will require an additional

sum of $178,750, which is estimated to be 715,000. This costs the company a total of

approximately 893,750 in personnel per annum.

The other expense that will be required is training to ensure effective service delivery. All

officers will be taken through Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) that will cost 8,000 per officer or

an estimated $2,000 per officer. The costs of further combined practice with clinicians and officers

based on simulation and trauma-conscious practice will amount to an annual 15,000 dollars.

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There is also a need for equipment and operational resources. Special response trucks will

be purchased at 40,000 each, and this will amount to 80,000. Radios and mobile devices constitute

communication systems and will cost about 15,000. Other costs include space in the office,

utilities, and program supplies, which were estimated to cost 50,000/year. Finally, the operation

costs, such as partnership with local mental health services, emergency accommodation services,

and transportation services to clients, are estimated to cost 75000 in a year.

The start-up cost of the MHCRT program will be approximately 1,136,750 in the first year.

The program will result in the following benefits that will be used to justify this investment: the

reduction in arrests, improved response to various crises, and increased access to mental health

services.

B. Plan to Acquire or Reallocate Resources

The sources will finance the MHCRT program with federal grants, state funding, and local

reallocation of resources. Bureau of Justice Assistance is among the most significant sources of

funds that are utilized to finance crisis intervention and law enforcement collaboration programs

(Jr., 2019). The Grant funding tends to be a transient plan that is generally one-time only, and

therefore, the program must develop a sustainability plan in the long term. After the program has

demonstrated itself to be demonstrably effective, i.e., reduced number of arrests, reduced number

of repeat crisis calls, and improved treatment outcomes, the program will seek state legislative

funding in the form of appropriations. It will involve the presentation of performance data and cost-

benefit analysis of the manner in which the program will reduce pressure on jails, courts, and

emergency services. There is also the need to redistribute available resources. The funds currently

being used to cycle law enforcement responses to mental health crises can be reexamined to fund

MHCRT operations.

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C. Implementation Timeline

The introduction of the MHCRT program will take place in a 12-month interval with a

structured schedule. During the first two months, the amount will be raised, and administrative

approvals will be acquired. It will also entail the termination of the partnerships with the

community mental health providers at this stage. Staffing and hiring will be done between months

two and four. This is in relation to police, clinical, and administrative personnel. Training will

follow recruitment of the staff between the third and fifth months, which will entail crisis

intervention, de-escalation skills, and joint response tactics.

The fifth month will involve the purchase of equipment such as vehicles and

communication systems. The sixth month will be the time when the program is introduced, and the

sixth month will be the time when the MHCRT teams will answer crisis calls in the community.

The program will be oriented to complete implementation between the sixth and the twelfth

month, with the aim of monitoring and making changes to increase efficiency (Theuer et al., 2026).

It will conduct performance assessment regularly to ensure that it identifies challenges as well as to

ensure that it is meeting program objectives. The ultimate assessment report will be carried out at

the completion of the first year.

D. Mechanisms of Self-Regulation

The MHCRT program will also have powerful self-regulation mechanisms in order to be

accountable and effective. The performance indicator will be established for both staff members.

The officers of the police will be evaluated based on their de-escalation proficiency, reduction of

the use-of-force instances, and collaboration with clinicians. The quality of mental health

evaluation, referral, and follow-up care coordination will be used to evaluate clinicians.

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Performance reviews will be done after every quarter to review individual and team

performance. Such reviews will include quantitative ones, such as the number of crises calls served

and successful arrest diversions, and some qualitative ones, such as communication and teamwork

(Theuer et al., 2026). The response times, outcomes, and referrals of all the activities of the

program will be monitored through a centralized data system. Through this system, program

managers will be in a position to monitor trends, areas that they can improve, and put people in

check.

Without communication, there can never be effective coordination. Team meetings The

team meetings will be held on a weekly basis, during which cases, feedback, and challenges can be

discussed. In addition, conflict resolution procedures shall be established in order to address any

conflict between the team members or cooperating agencies.

Self-regulating mechanism will also be continuous training and professional development

that will ensure that the staff is skilled and up-to-date with the best practices in the field of crisis

intervention and mental health care.

E. Support to Establish and Sustain.

The success of the MHCRT program in the long term requires development and

sustenance. The factors that might have led to resistance may be the fear of funding, lack of trust in

the law-enforcing officers, and lack of knowledge about the community members.

In order to overcome these obstacles, an aggressive communication plan will be used. The

leaders of the program will also supply the stakeholders (policymakers, law enforcement agencies,

and the population) with periodic information and success stories. One will be credible and

supported by demonstrating realistic results, e.g., reduced number of arrests and improved crisis

management.

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Of special importance is interaction with law enforcement personnel. In order to educate

and encourage officers to buy in, training sessions and informational meetings will be conducted so

as to communicate the benefits of the MHCRT program (Jr., 2019). The officers' involvement in

the program development will also help with the issue of resistance and cooperation. Community

outreach will be significant in support of building. Mental health resources and MHCRT team roles

awareness will be developed via public education campaigns.

Conclusion

The MHCRT action plan is an elaborate guideline within the treatment-oriented approach

of addressing mental health crises. The program stands a good likelihood of success since it

identifies the resources needed, sources of funds, a clear time schedule, and proper monitoring and

support systems. The MHCRT program can maximize results for individuals in crisis and reduce

the criminal justice system dependency through collaboration, innovation, and engagement

through a commitment to trauma-informed care.

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References

Jr., F.P.R. B. (2019). Flawed Criminal Justice Policies: At the Intersection of the Media,

Public Fear and Legislative Response (2nd ed.). Carolina Academic Press.

https://ccis.vitalsource.com/books/9781531011376

Theuer, A., Wilson, M. G., Abelson, J., & Eisler, L. (2026). Responding to people in crisis:

a policy analysis of the Hamilton Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team (MCRRT)

model. Advances in Mental Health, 1–17.

https://doi.org/10.1080/18387357.2025.2606892

Welsh, W. N., & Harris, P. W. (2016). Criminal Justice Policy and Planning (5th ed.).

Taylor & Francis. https://ccis.vitalsource.com/books/9781317271550