Behavioral Assessment Unit

The Behavioral Assessment Unit consists of the Mobile Crisis Team, Threat Management Team, and Peer Support and Wellness Team. The Unit is staffed by a lieutenant, three sergeants, one corporal and 21 officers.

24-hour Crisis Team

The crisis hotline is available to those in crisis 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by calling 410-931-2214. This hotline is a part of the Baltimore County Crisis Response System (BCCRS), described below.

Mobile Crisis Team

The Mobile Crisis Team is part of the BCCRS, which is a collaborative program between the Baltimore County Police and Health departments.

This cooperative partnership is designed to provide comprehensive crisis intervention services to persons in a mental health crisis.

The Mobile Crisis Team (MCT) provides mental health services to persons in mental, behavioral or emotional crisis. A specially-trained police officer is paired with a licensed mental health clinician. They provide emergency police response to persons in need of crisis intervention, assess individuals in need of services, offer resources and referrals, and complete emergency petitions when warranted.

System Goals

  • Create a partnership with mental health and police systems.
  • Contribute an accessible, coordinated and comprehensive system of psychiatric emergency services.
  • Fill service gaps identified in the emergency system.
  • Appropriately divert persons who have mental illness from the 911 emergency system and hospital emergency departments.
  • Link frequent mental health consumers to the mental health system.
  • Reduce police time on calls associated with mental health consumers.
  • Increase disposition and treatment options for police officers responding to crisis calls.
  • Increase overall treatment satisfaction for mental health consumers.
  • Address the behavioral health needs of consumers in Baltimore County.
  • Provide critical incident support to community members who experience a traumatic incident in Baltimore County.

Threat Management Team

The Threat Management Team provides services that help prevent targeted and mass violence. Detectives assigned to this team are trained in threat assessment and management, as well as site security assessment. They work with local, state and federal agencies, private businesses, schools, places of worship, and other community entities to take appropriate actions to assess and mitigate threats. They also assist with the prosecution of cases as necessary.

BCCRS AND THE AFFILIATED SANTÉ GROUP

The Affiliated Santé Group is the private vendor contracted by the Health Department to staff the clinical requirements of the BCCRS.

PEER SUPPORT AND WELLNESS TEAM

The Peer Support and Wellness Team (PSWT) is designed to provide support, training, and resources related to the mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, financial, and social health of sworn and non-sworn department members, their families, and retirees.

The PSWT is responsible for providing support for all incidents (officer-involved shootings, child deaths, officer injuries, etc.) that may cause trauma or a greater level of stress for all department members. The support is provided in coordination with our EAP Onsite Behavioral Specialist or other licensed mental health professionals affiliated with the PSWT. 

Specially-trained PSWT members use an array of crisis intervention tools that include Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), Instinctual Trauma Response (ITR), Acute Adaptive Stress Protocol (ASAP) and more to meet the needs of the member.