Implementing a 911 to 988 diversion program requires more than simply transferring calls. HTAC helps law enforcement agencies develop a structured, defensible process for identifying appropriate suicidal and behavioral health crisis calls and connecting those callers with professional crisis counselors—while maintaining clear safeguards for situations requiring a public safety response.

Our implementation process guides agencies from initial assessment through launch and evaluation:

• Readiness & Legal Review — Evaluate existing policies, applicable laws, liability considerations, collective bargaining concerns, and current crisis-response practices.
• Stakeholder Collaboration — Bring together executive leadership, communications personnel, legal counsel, risk management, labor representatives, behavioral health partners, 988 providers, and other key stakeholders.
• Program & Policy Development — Establish clear diversion and exclusion criteria, screening protocols, transfer procedures, escalation pathways, documentation requirements, and interagency agreements.
• Dispatcher Training — Prepare 911 personnel to recognize appropriate calls, conduct standardized diversion screening, complete effective transfers, document actions, and identify circumstances requiring law enforcement, EMS, or other emergency intervention.
• Pilot Implementation — Launch the program in a controlled environment, evaluate operational challenges, gather stakeholder feedback, and refine procedures before broader implementation.
• Quality Assurance & Evaluation — Track diversion rates, returned calls, officer-hours redirected, adverse events, training performance, and other measures to evaluate effectiveness and support continuous improvement.

The goal is not simply to reduce calls for service. It is to connect the right caller to the right resource at the right time while reducing unnecessary law enforcement involvement in non-criminal behavioral health crises and helping agencies manage operational risk, officer exposure, and community expectations.

HTAC can support the entire process—from initial feasibility assessment and stakeholder planning to policy development, dispatcher training, implementation, and program evaluation.