COMPASS as a Crisis-Response Resource for Police Officers

Assistant Chief Bertram Ettienne of the New Haven Police Department’s Uniform Services Patrol Division reflects on how crisis response has changed over his 25-year career. Early on, officers aimed to treat people in crisis with dignity and ensure immediate safety, but lacked meaningful resources to connect them to appropriate services. He explains that COMPASS now fills that gap by providing an additional option when a situation is nonviolent, noncriminal, and does not require arrest or an emergency-room visit. COMPASS connects individuals to trained mental health professionals who can de-escalate and address needs in the moment. It also helps keep patrol officers available for other calls for service rather than being tied up managing mental-health crises alone.