The Laredo Police Department officially opened a new home last week for its Mental Evaluation Outreach Unit, expanding its efforts to connect residents experiencing mental health crises with behavioral health professionals and community resources.

City and state officials gathered at the new facility, located at 1517 Washington St., describing the office as a new hub for partnerships between law enforcement, public health and behavioral health providers.

Mayor Dr. Victor D. Treviño said the facility represents more than just another city building.

"It represents partnership, compassion and commitment to helping our residents," Treviño said. "Mental health is a community issue, and addressing it requires us to work together.

"Our officers are often among the first to encounter individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. Rather than just responding to a crisis, we want to make sure people are connected to the appropriate care and services that can help them move forward."

Police Chief Miguel Rodriguez said the department recognizes there are still gaps in the community's mental health response, but officials are working to bridge those gaps through additional funding, partnerships and a new approach to crisis intervention.

"We know we have gaps in our community, and even though we're trying to bridge those gaps, we're trying to get more funding, more support," Rodriguez said. "The willingness from all the stakeholders to do more for their community because they truly believe in the efforts goes to show how successful this vision is going to be."

Earlier this year, the department acknowledged that officers are increasingly expected to respond to situations traditionally handled by psychologists, psychiatrists and other behavioral health professionals.

Rodriguez said the department plans to implement a co-response model, pairing officers with behavioral health professionals so people in crisis can be connected with specialized care in real time.

"We don't want to turn away from people in the community calling their police department for help," Rodriguez said. "But we understand we're not the subject matter experts. We have a role to play, but we need to bring the assistance on the onset because it's all about timeliness and getting the right help at the right time.

"This building will be the first step in bringing those partnerships together, and as we bring more resources to our city, we'll be able to expand on those services. In the future, I believe there will be more of these centers throughout the city."

Sgt. Heriberto Avalos said partnerships with the Laredo Public Health Department, the Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) Program and Border Region Behavioral Health Center will help connect residents with the services they need.

He said officers assigned to the unit are also being encouraged to take a more compassionate approach when responding to people in crisis.

"The approach that we want them to have is, again, with more empathy: de-escalate, talk to them on a one-to-one basis and pretty much assure them that we're there to help them," Avalos said. "And that way, they know that we're going to get them the help that they need."

Avalos said he hopes the new office is only the beginning of a broader expansion of mental health services throughout Laredo.

"We're hoping that this is just a small step compared to the strides that we need to take into making sure that the community has the services available to them," he said.

The new office will also support the department's Behavioral Threat Assessment Management Team, led by Sgt. David Carmona.

Avalos said the team works to identify and assess potential threats before they escalate.

"Right now, under the direction of Sergeant David Carmona, it identifies a lot of crises, whether it's threats to schools, threats to the community or individuals who are at high risk of committing harm to the community," Avalos said.

Among those attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony was State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, who praised the department's continued investment in mental health outreach while reminding the public that mental illness should never be stigmatized.

She said the new outreach unit represents an opportunity to intervene before someone reaches a crisis and connect people with treatment instead of allowing problems to escalate.

"What we have to do is not simply punish," Zaffirini said. "We have to prevent, educate and rehabilitate because we don't want to see men and women going in and out of our jails and prisons."

She closed with a reminder that mental illness should never be confused with criminality or evil.

"Ladies and gentlemen, never confuse mental illness with evil. They are different, and we truly reflect poorly on our efforts in mental health when we equate evil with mental illness," Zaffirini said. "What we need to do is break the vicious cycle. Today we celebrate this opportunity for outreach so that many men and women can be rehabilitated."

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