Mental health case worker hired to assist Beacon Police

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Beacon Police Chief Sands Frost, left, with Lashaveous Dicker (center) and Lt. Tom Figlia

BEACON – The City of Beacon now has a full-time mental health intensive case manager who will accompany police officers on calls for service and provide mental health services to persons in crisis.

Lashaveous Dicker is working under a contract with Mental Health America of Dutchess County.

The program is modeled after a similar initiative in the City of Poughkeepsie, which has helped to provide alternatives to the criminal justice system for those experiencing mental health crises.

Dicker is a lifelong resident of the City of Poughkeepsie who has 17 years of experience as a mental health professional, and who was selected by Mental Health America based on his skills in communication, crisis intervention, de-escalation, and case referral.

“It’s important for us to develop alternatives to the criminal justice system, and we’re confident that this program will help us better serve the community and, more importantly, the people we interact with every day who have mental health needs that aren’t being addressed,” said Police Chief Sands Frost.

The additional of a mental health intensive case manager was highlighted as one of the initiatives called for the City of Beacon’s newly adopted police reform plan.

 

 




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