ARETGroup

The integration of behavioral health clinicians and social service workers into community response roles has become a critical component of public safety innovation. While hiring the right treatment team is essential, also important—and often overlooked—are additional considerations for finding the right data and information systems needed to support the work.

This article provides guidance on data systems adoption for administrators seeking to hire a clinician or behavioral health treatment professional in a crisis de-escalation, deflection, or diversion response setting. This includes officers, embedded behavioral health professionals, crisis clinicians, QMHPs (Qualified Mental Health Professionals), and peer support specialists.

Existing Data Infrastructure

Police RMS and CAD Systems. Community response workers embedded within law enforcement crisis response and de-escalation teams need to have access to law enforcement Records Management Systems (RMS) and Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD). These systems provide critical context, active alerts, and incident details essential to effective law enforcement communication. However, CAD systems are not designed to capture complex case narratives or detailed field notes specific to client mental, substance use, or cognitive issues. Similarly, RMS platforms often lack the structural components necessary for documenting behavioral or mental health-related contacts.

Behavioral Health and Medical Records. To fill the gaps in CAD/RMS infrastructure, some agencies are considering building solutions that access a medical record system in the field. There are solutions on the market that feature integration to medical and behavioral health records systems. What these services focus on is connecting field-based treatment teams with known background and demographic information, such as medical conditions, mental health diagnoses, and prescription medication histories.

However, there are significant challenges and costs associated with ensuring real-time access to an integrated justice and health record—particularly including law enforcement, justice, community and medical users. These challenges include, but are not limited to:

●     The need for complex data-sharing and business associate agreements;

●     High costs and long timelines required to build integration solutions;

●     Complex project management and 3-5 years adoption timeline; 

●     Determining access privileges;

●     Lack of informed consent at the point of crisis for in-depth medical records;

●     Limited permissions for collaboration with justice, law enforcement, assessment, and/or research partners; and

●     Ethical concerns related to sharing confidential health information.

Because of these barriers, many agencies are not pursuing universal or fully integrated records access at this time. For others, this may remain a longer-term goal, as it may require three to five years of collaboration and planning.

Some good news: Conventional public safety data systems do not need full integration or universal connectivity into medical records systems. When hiring new clinical roles, administrators should consider implementing light-wight data capture systems for safe and effective management of individual-level or case information.

Non-Integrated Data Management Services

Agencies are now exploring add-on data services for specialized response teams to handle sensitive data and case records. When considering the options, buyers should look for solutions that offer:

●     Compliance with security standards such as HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2, and IRB/GDP protocols.

●     Customizable case and assessment forms tailored to evidence-based practice models.

●     Longitudinal data tracking for individuals, families, and communities.

●     Configurable workflows for intake, referral, follow-up, and outcome documentation.

●     Role-based access controls to ensure confidentiality and appropriate data sharing.

●     Real-time dashboards and reporting tools for internal evaluation and stakeholder communication.

●     Audit trails and data integrity safeguards for accountability and transparency.

●     Interoperability options to exchange key information securely with law enforcement, behavioral health, education, or other partner systems.

●     User-friendly interfaces to support field staff with limited technical experience.

●     Ongoing technical support, training, and system updates to ensure sustainability over time.

Choosing a system designed with these capabilities not only improves compliance and reporting, but also strengthens the sustainability case for new embedded clinical staff. To learn more, see our recent article “The Case for Community-Focused Case Management in Law Enforcement”

When onboarding a new clinician or behavioral health professional, agencies should be carefully informed by state and agency-specific guidelines. For more information related to the following topics on hiring a police-embedded clinician, QMHP, peer or crisis worker, we also recommend you explore these other relevant topics:

●     Clinical supervision and case consultation

●     CEUs, certifications and specific training needs

●     Safety considerations when sending clinicians on dispatch calls

●     State laws and regulations regarding pre-screening in the field