The Ottawa Police Department is fortunate to have a crisis co-responder, and this just happens to be Crisis Co-Responder week. Megan Thomas is that responder. Crisis co-responders work directly with the officers to bridge the gap between the criminal justice system and other options like mental health support, social needs, financial support and homeless outreach. Ottawa Police Chief Adam Weingartner:
Megan is partnered with Master Police Officer Josh Swab. Together they are the Community Policing Team. Megan and her partner are assigned calls involving mental health to de-escalate and divert from the criminal justice system and emergency medical systems when possible.
