06/15/2026
Mental Health Calls Are Public Safety Calls: Protect Co-Response Funding
As Massachusetts police departments increasingly receive calls involving mental health crises, communities across the Commonwealth face growing public safety and behavioral health challenges. At the same time, uncertainty surrounding annual funding for co-response clinician teams continues to create financial and operational concerns for municipalities working to maintain these critical services.
The Massachusetts Fiscal Year 2027 budget is currently before a joint House-Senate conference committee as lawmakers negotiate differences between their spending proposals. The Senate budget included an additional $15 million for Jail Diversion funding, an investment essential to maintaining existing programs and expanding access to crisis response services.
“There’s a component of mental health to almost every call that we deal with,” says Billerica Police Chief Roy Frost. “We talk all the time about de-escalation in crisis, and that means bringing resources in. These clinicians are exactly the resource that we need.”
Communities including Ashland and Billerica have adopted co-response protocols to better address mental health crises by pairing trained police officers with licensed behavioral health clinicians. These partnerships improve safety and stability on scene, create direct connections to appropriate treatment and services, and help provide longer-term solutions for individuals experiencing behavioral health emergencies.
Ashland Police Chief Cara Rossi says her department is fortunate to have access to these resources, but stresses that sustainability remains a concern. “Not every department is as fortunate as we are, but funding is always an issue. Every year, it’s on the chopping block. It’s no longer a nice-to-have. It is essential for communities.”
This public service announcement features Police Chiefs Cara Rossi of the Ashland Police Department and Roy Frost of the Billerica Police Department as they discuss the importance of co-response strategies and why maintaining these programs remains critical to public safety, crisis intervention, and community wellbeing across Massachusetts.
Central Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Associations
SMPCA Southeastern Massachusetts Police Chiefs Association
Western Mass Chiefs of Police Association
Municipal Police Institute, Inc.
Massachusetts Municipal Police Training Committee
Senate President Karen E. Spilka
