McKees Rocks Police Department partners with Allegheny County Alternative Response Team

  The McKees Rocks Police Department has entered into a pilot program with the Allegheny County Department of Human services, to be run by Resources for Human Development (RHD) to have Alternative Responders (A Team) respond to certain non-violent, mental health and social service-related calls.  The purpose of this program is to have the A Team respond to certain 911 calls that have been deemed to not require a law enforcement response. The Chief of Police has been working with DHS, RHD, Allegheny County 911 and the other participating police department Chief’s of Police from Monroeville, Penn Hills and the Allegheny County Housing Authority PD to establish eligible criteria for the program for over the last two years. The program launched in Penn Hills and Monroeville in October and will be expanding to McKees Rocks and Allegheny County Housing Authority properties the first week of the new year.  The A Team may respond in one of three ways: (1) without the police, (2) with the police or (3) be called to respond by the police after the police initially respond. The goal of the program is to de-escalate crisis in the community, reduce unnecessary emergency room visits, reduce the time officers spend on behavioral-health type calls, offer and complete connections to care for those that want it, and reduce the chance of arrest and incarceration. There will also be follow-up teams to make sure people are getting the services they need.  The A Team will be based in the community and respond to calls seven days a week from 10a-10p.