Communities across the country are looking at options for providing alternative responses to calls for service for nonviolent, low-level incidences such as trespassing, substance misuse-related, or behavioral health episodes. Representatives from Denver, Colorado, will discuss their approach to these calls through their STAR program. Working as a team consisting of mental health clinicians and a paramedic, members of the STAR program are dispatched to call that previously would have been handled by patrol officers.The panelist will discuss the planning and implementation of their program. STAR program members will describe how the program is utilized and discuss early outcomes.

Panelist:

Matthew M. Lunn, Ph.D., is the Manager of Strategic Initiatives at the Denver Police Department. His focus is on developing short-and long-term strategic goals, driving innovation and evaluation efforts, and maximizing organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Dr. Lunn holds a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, and is a graduate of the Police Executive Research Forum's Senior Management Institute for Police. His areas of research include use of force and program evaluation.

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