The El Paso City Council is set to decide Tuesday whether officers will get a new option for some of their toughest calls: taking people in mental-health or substance-use crisis to a round-the-clock diversion center instead of booking them into jail.
The proposed measure would let the mayor sign an interlocal agreement with Emergence Health Network (EHN), the El Paso Police Department, and the El Paso County district attorney to run the facility. Council members can either greenlight the deal as written or send staff back to tweak the plan and bring other options.
According to the City of El Paso agenda, the resolution would authorize the mayor to sign an interlocal agreement with EHN and the county district attorney. The draft sets a two-year term running through November 2028, with an option to automatically renew for one additional year.
What the diversion center would do
Documents in the council packet and local reporting describe the center as a 24-hour facility that would accept law-enforcement drop-offs and walk-ins, provide crisis intervention and short-term stabilization, and connect people to follow-up services. City materials say the setup could get officers back on patrol faster while still steering people to treatment, as reported by KFOX.
EHN’s track record
Emergence Health Network already operates a 24-hour crisis hotline, mobile crisis teams, and an Extended Observation Unit, according to Emergence Health Network materials. EHN reports that the Extended Observation Unit has served more than 4,000 people over the past five years, with nearly half brought in by law enforcement…