Building a Better Bridge

McLennan County Law Enforcement Tackles Mental Health Response Challenges through Community Collaboration

When a person in Waco experiences a mental health crisis, the most common first responder isn’t a therapist or social worker—it’s a law enforcement officer. For McLennan County Chief Deputy Cody Blossman and his deputies, this is a daily reality, and one that reveals a deeper truth: the current system isn’t built to serve people in crisis—it’s trying to catch up. 

“We often get the call simply because people don’t know who else to call,” said Blossman. “But law enforcement isn’t always the best answer for those experiencing mental health issues, and we know that.” 

But with current gaps in the mental health infrastructure, exacerbated by the closure of DePaul Center in 2023, local law enforcement continues to serve as the default stopgap for an issue in need of time- and cost-effective long-term solutions. 

Waco Police Department fields about 90,000 calls a year. The Sheriff’s Office takes another 25,000.

“There are calls pending when officers clock in, and still calls holding when they leave shift,” Major David Ives said. “Right now, taking someone to jail is faster than finding mental health services—and that’s part of the problem.” 

A Costly Holding Pattern

According to Ives, the McLennan County Jail has become—by necessity, not design—the region’s largest mental health facility, with around 400–500 individuals in custody at any given time flagged as mental health consumers. 

That equates to roughly 164,000 incarceration days per year—a figure that, Ives points out, means “we are operating a larger mental health hospital than Austin State Hospital, without being a hospital.” 

Each of those days costs taxpayers an estimated $200. Multiply that by 164,000, and you’re looking at over $32 million annually. These numbers, Ives says, are key to understanding why this issue is not only a humanitarian crisis—but a financial one.

What makes this more urgent is that many of these individuals are not mentally competent to stand trial and may not regain competency during their time in custody. 

“They sit in jail as if they were guilty, but nothing improves when they get out,” Blossman said. “The same challenges remain.”

The Jail Diversion Vision

According to Ives, the McLennan County Jail has become—by necessity, not design—the region’s largest mental health facility, with around 400–500 individuals in custody at any given time flagged as mental health consumers. 

That equates to roughly 164,000 incarceration days per year—a figure that, Ives points out, means “we are operating a larger mental health hospital than Austin State Hospital, without being a hospital.” 

Each of those days costs taxpayers an estimated $200. Multiply that by 164,000, and you’re looking at over $32 million annually. These numbers, Ives says, are key to understanding why this issue is not only a humanitarian crisis—but a financial one.

What makes this more urgent is that many of these individuals are not mentally competent to stand trial and may not regain competency during their time in custody. 

“They sit in jail as if they were guilty, but nothing improves when they get out,” Blossman said. “The same challenges remain.”

The Jail Diversion Vision

Breaking that cycle through a more effective and comprehensive response to mental healthcare is currently a key focus of the Behavioral Health Leadership Team (BHLT), an initiative supported by Prosper Waco that brings together local healthcare, government, law enforcement, and nonprofit leadership. Blossman describes BHLT’s jail diversion initiative as a necessary pivot away from simply incarcerating individuals in crisis. 

“It’s about getting people the help they need, not just holding them,” Blossman explained.

For individuals experiencing a mental health challenge, that help comes in three essential parts: someone to call, someone to respond, and somewhere safe to go. Currently, the answers to those three points often default to law enforcement, emergency rooms, and jail cells—none of which are built to treat mental illness long-term.

Complex issues require creative thinking and a willingness to try new methods, such as a pilot Ives describes where mental health consumers leaving jail will be physically driven by jail staff to Waco Family Medicine, where they’ll see a doctor, receive medication on the spot, and be scheduled for follow-ups—complete with transportation support.

“That’s a system,” Ives said. “You’ve got all three gears working. It’s not piecemeal. Everyone’s role matters, and everyone has skin in the game.”

Tracking Toward Change: Data-supported Collaboration

As local partners collaborate to create more sustainable solutions, good data is the essential foundation for progress. Blossman’s team is now tracking every mental health-related call for service, noting the outcome, what community resources were used, and where gaps still exist.“The goal is to build a resource map and make sure officers know who to call and where to direct someone in need,” Blossman said. “There are amazing resources here—but they can’t help everyone, and we need to know when they can’t.”

In an effort to strengthen partnerships and align strategies, Prosper Waco recently convened the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office and Waco Police Department—critical partners in this effort—to share data and build trust.

“It was one of the most substantive meetings I’ve ever been in,” Ives said. “We were honest with each other. And we realized—we’re not on opposite pages. We’re actually on the same page.”

Being able to effectively share data is key to solution-centered communication, which is where Prosper Waco comes in, helping to interpret and align the varying types of data collected across agencies.

“You’ve got different groups tracking different metrics in different ways,” Blossman explained. “Prosper Waco’s team helps bring us and the information presented all onto the same page, so we can make informed, data-driven decisions together.”

Partners across sectors in this work acknowledge that the road ahead is long. But the commitment is strong, and the vision is clear: a future where people in mental health crisis don’t end up behind bars simply because there is nowhere else to go.

“The system isn’t broken—it just doesn’t exist yet,” Blossman said. “But we’re building it together.”