This article explains how the co-responder model in Yuma works, why it is different from traditional response, what early data shows, and what comes next as the city, Yuma Police Department, Yuma Fire Department, and local providers strengthen the model.
The Need: Frequent Crises, Limited Options, and Rising Service Demand
Before the co-responder program, patrol officers faced a steady flow of behavioral health related calls where the choices were limited. In many cases, officers had to choose between arrest, a Title 36 involuntary process, or leaving after a brief on-scene check. Fire was often dispatched with an ambulance and a truck, even when a high-acuity medical transport was not required. Residents with complex needs cycled through emergencies, often calling 911 multiple times per day.
Yuma leadership recognized that arrests do not solve mental health crises. They also saw how untreated conditions can drive substance use, homelessness, and escalating calls for service. The program’s champion, Sgt. Raul Feverish, had pushed for a mental health response team for years. Once staffing and leadership aligned, the city stood up a co-responder unit to meet people where they are, listen, and connecting them to the right level of care.
The Model: Two Experienced Officers and an Embedded Paramedic
The program began with two dedicated Yuma Police Department officers, each with a decade of patrol experience and a strong track record with the mental health community. They cover Monday through Thursday and Tuesday through Friday schedules that flex with demand. Calls often begin before 7 a.m. and continue after 5 p.m., and overtime has been common due to need.
A key innovation is the addition of a Yuma Fire Department paramedic embedded with the second team. The paramedic screens for medical issues on scene, determines whether transport is necessary, and supports safe, voluntary connections to behavioral health facilities. This reduces unnecessary multi-unit fire responses and improves the accuracy of medical decision making for individuals in crisis. The program intends to send all co-responder officers through Crisis Intervention Team training and is exploring EMT certifications to support integrated care further.
How Response is Different: De-Escalation, Trust, and Warm Handoffs
Traditional patrol response emphasizes clearing calls quickly to handle the queue. Co-responders slow down and stay. They may spend 30 minutes to two hours with a single resident, building rapport and negotiating voluntary transport to care. The officers know the local providers and counselors by name. They call ahead to coordinate, and in some cases, clinicians meet them on scene. This approach has reduced the need for handcuffs and Title 36 proceedings because residents agree to go voluntarily.
One officer described a frequent caller who historically generated multiple calls per day. By consistently showing up, listening, and providing small gestures of respect and care, the officer built enough trust to secure voluntary services, appropriate clothing, and a path to treatment. Another resident who previously avoided police now calls specifically for the co-responder officers because they feel heard and supported. These stories reflect a pattern the team is seeing citywide. With repeated, respectful contact, people in crisis begin to welcome help.
Early Results: High Volume, Voluntary Care, and Fewer Repeat Calls
The team launched mid-August and still logged 82 calls that month despite training days and provider site visits. In September, calls rose to 151. In October, with data still updating at the time of the presentation, the program had already surpassed 200 calls total. For a city with thousands of total police calls, that number may seem minor. For the subset of calls involving mental and behavioral health, it is significant.
A few outcomes stand out.
- Voluntary transport has become the norm. The officers report that handcuffs are rarely needed because people agree to go to care.
- Local facilities are receiving sustained referrals. CBI, Onvita, and other partners have seen such consistent volume that bed availability has tightened at times.
- Follow-ups are standard practice. Unlike routine patrol, the co-responder team goes back two or three days later to check on people who declined services at first contact.
- Repeat 911 calls are falling for some frequent consumers. The team pointed to residents who once called multiple times per day but now call less because they are in treatment or have a relationship with the co-responders.
These wins matter. They save officer time, reduce costly transports, and most importantly, improve safety and dignity for the people most affected.
Why a Paramedic Matters
Many behavioral health crises include a medical component. People may be dehydrated, intoxicated, withdrawing, or experiencing side effects from complex medication regimens. Patrol officers are not trained to diagnose medical issues. The embedded paramedic evaluates vital signs, screens for medical red flags, and makes transport decisions that match the actual need. This right-sizes the response, reserves ambulances and fire apparatus for high-acuity calls, and gives residents a more straightforward path to the correct destination, whether that is a hospital, a crisis stabilization unit, or a community provider.
The Ecosystem: Partnerships Make the Model Work
The Yuma co-responder program is not just police and fire. It is a network. Providers like Horizon, CBI, Onvita, Crossroads Mission, and Hospice of the Valley contribute to rapid handoffs and grief support. The city is expanding a chaplain program, with mentorship from Border Patrol’s experienced team, to assist families after suicides and other traumatic events. The Yuma Coalition for Mental Health is helping organize resources into a central repository so officers and paramedics can find services quickly. Community groups have offered free trauma-informed training and volunteer support as the model scales.
The Chief’s message is clear. No single agency can arrest or transport its way out of behavioral health need. The city is choosing collaboration and iteration. If a piece of the model is not working, they will change it. If a partner has a resource to offer, the program wants to make that resource easy to activate from the field.
Staffing and Sustainability
Seven to eight years ago, Yuma PD operated near 75 percent staffing, which limited service options to core emergency response. With staffing now close to 97 percent and pay more competitive, the department can invest in auxiliary units like the co-responder program. Recruitment is ongoing, and leadership is open about the need to cover weekends once the model and personnel are ready. The program is also exploring funding with Banner and other sources to sustain and expand services without overburdening city budgets.
Data and Performance: What to Track Next
Early counts show strong demand and high acceptance of voluntary services. As the program matures, a shared data framework will help demonstrate impact to residents, council, and funders. Based on the first months of operations and standard measures in similar programs, Yuma’s team can track:
- Call categories and outcomes. Crisis type, scene time, dispositions, and whether transport was voluntary or involuntary.
- Linkage to care. Warm handoffs completed, time from first contact to first appointment, and no-show rates.
- Repeat utilizers. Changes in 911 calls, fire responses, and ED visits for people engaged by the co-responder team.
- Safety outcomes. Use of force, injuries to residents and responders, and scene stability over time.
- Resource match. Time to find services, use of the chaplain program, and gaps that block timely care.
- Community feedback. Resident and family satisfaction after contact, including qualitative stories of trust and stability.
These measures give the city a way to refine operations, improve equity in access to care, and prioritize investments that deliver the highest impact per dollar.
Community Questions and Practical Answers
During a recent community forum, residents asked how they could help. The requests were specific. Build a single source of truth for resources. Share data back with providers so they can match services to needs. Create an action plan for non-funded volunteer support and training. Provide immediate support to families after a death or suicide. The department responded with commitments that are already in motion. The chaplain program is expanding. Hospice teams can be called to scenes to support families. Free officer wellness services are available through Under the Shield. The coalition is working on a central resource repository.
This dialog matters because it keeps the model honest. It ensures the program grows in a way that reflects the realities families face during and after a crisis.
What success looks like in Yuma Co-Responder Program
Success is a resident who used to fear police now waving the co-responder team over when they see the patrol SUV. Success is a person who called 911 dozens of times now attending treatment under a court order or through a voluntary plan. Success is fewer handcuffs and more conversations that end with a ride to care. Success is fire units freed up for high-acuity calls because a paramedic on the co-responder team handled the medical screen and transport decision on scene. Success is officers who feel supported after hard calls, not burned out and isolated.
On a citywide scale, success will show up as fewer emergency calls for the same individuals, more continuity with community providers, fewer injuries, and better use of limited EMS and police resources.
Next Steps for Yuma Co-Responder Program and Partners
The program’s leaders see three priorities for the coming months.
- Expand coverage. Analyze call curves to determine the best way to add weekend and evening coverage when staffing allows.
- Strengthen data sharing. Stand up a secure, centralized directory of services and a simple referral and feedback loop so officers know whether a handoff turned into care.
- Build sustainable funding. Blend city funds with health system contributions, grants, and philanthropic support to ensure the program survives budget cycles and can scale with need.
Community partners can help by offering training in trauma-informed care, crisis communication, and local resource navigation. Providers can designate liaisons who are reachable during peak hours. Foundations and health systems can target dollars to the technology and staffing that make warm handoffs more reliable.
Why this matters beyond Yuma
The Yuma co-responder program illustrates a path that many growing cities can follow. It proves that a small, focused team with the proper training and relationships can reduce strain on 911, protect residents and officers, and move people into genuine care. It also shows that the right partner at the right moment matters. Embedding a paramedic was the right fit for Yuma’s call mix and resource landscape. In other cities, a clinician may ride along. The principle is the same. Bring integrated skills to the scene, stay long enough to build trust, and connect people to the services that fit their needs.
A practical call to action
If you are a provider, share what you can offer and who officers should call. If you are a community leader, help build the central resource directory and keep it current. If you are a resident, learn about the program and encourage neighbors to seek help early. If you are a funder, support the data, training, and staffing that make warm handoffs possible. When each group does its part, the whole city becomes safer and more compassionate.
Yuma is not trying to be perfect. The department is trying to be present, accountable, and responsive. That is how trust is built. That is how crises become connections. And that is how a city grows into a place where people get help before emergencies spiral.
