Virginia Law Enforcement Will Soon Be Pairing With Mental Health Clinicians

It will take some time to implement, but Southwest Virginia law enforcement, along with others from across the Commonwealth will be working alongside mental health clinicians when responding to mental health and substance abuse related emergency calls. Governor Ralph Northam recently signed the bill named the MARCUS Alert, for 24 year old Marcus- David Peters, an African American high school teacher who was shot and killed by a Richmond police officer in 2017 while suffering a severe mental health crisis. The new system is expected to take several years to fully implement, but a locally funded program in Northern Virginia is to take effect in early December