FAIRFAX, Va. — The Fairfax County Police Department just expanded its co-response unit to better respond to mental health calls in the county.
The program first began in September 2021 to provide an alternative approach to mental health emergencies. With the help of grant funding, police were able to add a second team on Monday as part of a multi-phase plan.
The program pairs up officers, already trained in crisis intervention, with a mental health clinician throughout parts of the week. The second crew can help cover more days and times.
The teams have the ability to choose which calls need their attention the most.
"By having a clinician there, we're finding that we don't have to result to hospitalizations quite as much," Lt. Eric Ivancic of the crisis intervention team told WUSA9. "What we found in looking at the numbers is that less than 20% of the time are co-responders having to resort to any type of hospitalization whether that's voluntary or under a detention order."
Currently, the shifts are able to cover 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., the time of day when most mental health calls occur in the county. The goal is to expand to eight different units to cover calls throughout the day.
The number of calls related to mental health has tripled since 2016. Chief Kevin Davis recently said so far in 2022, officers responded to about 6,700 calls. That is about 33 calls per day.
Less than 1% of the calls required use of force.
"The demand for these services is overwhelming," he said.
The chief announced the expansion the same day he released bodycam video of an officer shooting and killing a man in a severe mental health crisis in McLean.
Officers and mental health clinician were called to a home but the subject in question, Aaron Lynch, was nowhere to be found. They left but arrived more than an hour later without the mental health expert. Lynch was in the home the second time around.
Officers said Lynch threw a mask at one of the officers, and then charged at them while winging a wine bottle. Despite efforts to use a taser, a third officer shot Lynch four times.
His family has criticized police over their response. In a statement, the family said they would not have involved police until a counselor was available had they known lethal force was possible.
"That clinician had moved on to another location at the conclusion of his tour of duty to complete some administrative paperwork," Chief Davis said.
While Ivancic could not comment on the ongoing investigation, he said expanding the co-response program can at least help any situation.
"This gives us an opportunity to help exhaust all efforts to stabilize someone in the crisis and divert them," Ivancic added.
The teams utilize clinicians from the emergency services team at the Sharon Bulova Center for Community Health in Fairfax. The first group covers the Mason District and other parts of central Fairfax County. The second group will be able to cover the Mount Vernon and Franconia regions.
WUSA9 has covered a similar program in Alexandria, where the city is working to expand their teams as well.