Mental Health Division
Newsletter 2017 Autumn Edition
There were many agencies, organizations, and volunteers that worked alongside the
Mental Health Division that deserve recognition for their support to the citizens of
Houston. The City thanks them for their partnership.
Hurricane Harvey
MHD Secures Shelter
The Mental Health Division coordinated the se-
curity for the George R. Brown Emergency Shel-
ter the day after the hurricane. Mental Health
officers provided security for the Red Cross Shel-
ter and various governmental and non-
governmental operations inside. MHD’s CIRT
officers and clinicians provided 24 hour Crisis
Response for persons that went into mental
health crisis while seeking services in the shelter.
Foundations Who Supported HOT Receive HPD Awards
Personnel Changes
Representatives from The Simmons Foundation, The Frees Foundation, and the
Herzstein Foundation received Humanitarian Awards from the Houston Police
Department for their support of the Homeless Outreach Team.
From Left to Right:
Assistant Chief Wendy E. Baimbridge, Kim Kornmayer (The Harris Center), Officer John Vogel-
sang, Officer Theresa Gonzalez (Metro PD), Amber Honsinger (The Harris Center), Amanda
Cloud President and CEO of The Simmons Foundation, Sergeant Steve Wick, Deidre Kimble-
Charles (The Harris Center), Cami West Puentes (The Harris Center), Ashley Mullins (The Harris
Center), Officer Karan Dhooper, Officer Colin Mansfield, Officer Shelton Theragood, and Retired
Officer Jaime Giraldo.
The past year has had significant changes to the fac-
es in our division. Since Assistant Chief Wendy
Baimbridge’s recent promotion, day to day over-
sight of the Mental Health Division has been as-
signed to our new commander, Captain Bill Staney
as of March 2017.
Lieutenant Patrick Plourde returned to the division
in October of 2017, replacing Lieutenant Cheryl
Southwell who transferred to Citywide DRT.
Senior Justice Assessment Center Opens
The Houston Police Department sent several officers and civilians from our programs to attend the Texas CIT Confer-
ence in South Padre.
Several units presented on our programs. Officer Jason Garcia of our special projects gave a presentation with Lilian
Ortiz and Jennifer Battle of the Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD on the Crisis Call Diversion Program. This
program is the first of its kind and allows crisis counselors to take calls unrelated to police work or crisis that are associ-
ated with mental illness. If the call does not involve crime, crisis, or violence, the counselor will attempt to handle the
call without dispatching a patrol unit. The program has been in operation for a little over a year. The Homeless Out-
reach Team’s Officer Colin Mansfield, Sergeant Steve Wick, and case manager Cami West also presented on the Home-
less Outreach Team’s response to the mentally ill.
In the Spring, the Senior Justice Assessment Center (SJAC) officially
opened for business. SJAC aims to improve, preserve, and protect the well
-being of vulnerable senior victims of crime. Similar to Children’s Assess-
ment Center, SJAC will aid law enforcement investigators with the effi-
ciency of handling their cases involving 65 and older.
SJAC is a multi-disciplinary panel, including geriatric specialists, forensic
nurses, the district attorney’s office, APS, and other agencies involved in
servicing elders. The panel can be arranged based on the investigator’s
needs and will provide documents and facts the investigator would ordinari-
ly have to seek.
For more information on this program, or to make a referral, visit https://hcps.harriscountytx.gov/Our-
Services/Adult-Services/SJAC, or contact our liaison: [email protected]
International CIT Conference 2017
Texas CIT Conference 2017
Representatives of the Houston Police Department’s Mental Health Division,
including Captain Bill Staney, Sergeant Steve Wick, Officer Colin Mansfield, Of-
ficer Rebecca Skillern, and Officer David Rose attended the most recent CIT
Conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Pictured to the right is the presentation,
“Crime and Crisis” that Officers Skillern and Rose presented there. This presen-
tation focused on scenarios where crime and crisis situations intersect. The
presentation also discussed jail diversions, arrests, and when they are appropri-
ate, providing several anecdotal examples.
Assistant Chief Baimbridge presenting on SJAC
Pioneer of HPD’s CIT Program Retires From The Department
S enior Police Officer (SPO) Frank Webb is a
36-year veteran of the Houston Police De-
partment (HPD). For the past twenty-six
years he worked in the field of crisis inter-
vention, which trains police officers to more appro-
priately and humanely respond to incidents involv-
ing individuals in mental health crises. This mission
has grown in significance in HPD. In fact, SPO
Webb has been critical in the development and suc-
cess of the program from its origins as a Crisis Inter-
vention Team (CIT) to the development of the Men-
tal Health Unit to becoming what is now the Mental
Health Division (MHD).
The mission of the Mental Health Division is to pro-
vide a professional, safe and human response to in-
dividuals with mental health problems and to the
homeless population in Houston. SPO Webb has
made that possible because of his passion for the
mental health cause and his collaborative effort to
bring together the resources of social services and
nonprofit organizations to work cohesively to
achieve this common goal. It is evident that SPO
Webb has great dedication and concern for both the
law enforcement community and the citizens we
serve. His impact has been profound. The Houston
Police Department is proud to express its gratitude
for his 36 years of dedication and service.
Retired Senior Police Officer Frank Webb is now currently employed as the Project Manager for the Office
of Mental Health Policy and Jail Diversion Projects at the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Mental Health Division Contact
Call 832.394.4200 or visit HoustonCIT.org