21-02-2025
An inside look at Erie police's Crisis Intervention Unit
From time to time, we've all felt overwhelmed in life. But for some, the stress can become too much and can lead to a mental health or domestic crisis.
We got an inside look at the Erie Police Department's crisis unit and how it helps uplift people who feel like they're in their darkest moments.
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The Erie Police Department's Crisis Intervention Unit was re-established in 2023 and since that time, it's answered thousands of calls for help throughout the City of Erie.
When you or a loved one feels backed into a corner with no one to turn to, the Erie Police Department's Crisis Intervention unit hopes to be the one to bring you back on your feet.
'You're dealing with people who are in crisis, and sometimes they need a little more time to de-escalate from whatever they're going through, and our officers do a great job of being able to talk to people, get them to calm down, and open up to us about what's going on,' said Sergeant Marc Bellotti, supervisor of the Crisis Intervention Unit.
The crisis car unit consists of nine officers specially trained in mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence, children and youth services, and suicidal-related 911 calls.
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Those types of calls have continued to grow city-wide.
'We're answering hundreds of calls per month,' Bellotti said.
Those calls could be a simple as checking on somebody to make sure they're ok, but could be as extreme as helping crisis services serve involuntary mental health commitments.
One of the many organizations that partners with the crisis unit told us police act as a crucial first line of support to connect those in dire need to resources.
'We depend on the police a lot because the police department is one of the places that sees victims of domestic violence before they're killed. I hate to be so blunt about it, but that's one of two places either with police or in a medical facility. We depend on them to assess for lethality and put them on the phone with SafeNet,' said Robyn Young, executive director of SafeNet.
Sergeant Bellotti said they don't claim to be mental health professionals by any means but they're committed to helping people out of what may feel like the lowest moment of their life.
'These people who are experiencing mental health crisis are not criminals. They're people who need help. Us as first responders, our job isn't just primarily to arrest people. We are a resource for people who are in need and we want to let people know that if they need to reach out to us, we are available for them,' he went on to say.
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The last time the city had this unit was in the early 2000s, but thanks to ARP funding, it was able to be restored. Recently, the police department has a new way of funding the unit through a state grant.
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