Police and public health officials are getting international attention for how they work together on the streets in Winthrop, Massachusetts,
Robert Stein remembers a time when he was spiraling just a couple of years ago.
“I was mentally unstable at the moment,” said Stein. “I was suffering from PTSD from the military, I was going through a divorce, and I also had my identity stolen.”
Stein says a 911 call after he became belligerent one day helped route him to resources.
“I would have been another veteran who committed suicide and that is true,” Stein shared.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.
Winthrop Police Lt. Sarko Gergerian says the town’s first responders partner with the public health department in a program called Community and Law Enforcement Assisted Recovery – also known as CLEAR.
“During an emergency when someone is completely unraveled from baseline, their more apt to say yes I need help,” said Gergerian.
“A first responder showing up, they are putting the acute emergency under control, putting the fire out, and then they are leaving,” explained Gergerian.
Winthrop CLEAR, formed in 2014, is a collaboration among the Winthrop Department of Public Health and Clinical Services, Winthrop Police, and Winthrop Fire. CLEAR uses police data to find and help people struggling with substance use, mental health, and domestic violence challenges.
Winthrop Director of Public Health Meredith Hurley says they have been able to apply appropriate resources in more than 500 cases last year alone.
“What we are trying to do is go upstream and do more intercepting before the crisis response.”
The whole concept of CLEAR is to detour people away from a jail cell in certain cases and direct them to more appropriate resources.
“We are doing that unfinished work. Closing the service loop,” explained Gergerian.
“Really them guiding me to the right places so I can get the right help at the right time,” Stein said.
Winthrop’s CLEAR initiative was recently recognized as one of the best community policing programs in the entire world by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The award was presented at the IACP’s annual conference in Denver.
