(The Center Square) – Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan is increasing efforts to address public safety in Georgia, announcing a plan Monday to create a co-responder program for law enforcement and behavioral health specialists.
The bipartisan bill would allow behavioral specialists to respond to incidents involving people with mental illnesses along with officers. Mental health advocates have pushed for the program and believe it could divert offenders and reduce crime.
“Facilitating working partnerships between mental health experts and first responders provides a tailored response to de-escalating emergencies,” Duncan said Monday in a statement. “This measure takes a proactive approach to expand mental health resources by not only establishing an emergency response partnership, but by creating a model that includes a follow-up system with individuals and identifies those currently incarcerated that may be treated more effectively in a behavioral health facility.”
Sen. Ben Watson, R-Savannah, would carry the measure, Senate Bill 403, in the Senate. Forty-one other senators on both sides of the aisle have co-sponsored the measure. It is the second public safety proposal announced by Duncan in the past week.
Public safety has been at the top of the agenda for Georgia Republicans in the new session. Duncan announced Thursday he would be rolling out legislation this week to fix information gaps in the state’s law enforcement database. The lieutenant governor’s office said Monday it has not weighed the cost yet or determined whether the improvements will come with additional cost to the state.
Duncan’s director of communications, Emma Johnson, said one of the options the office is exploring is using revenue from background check fees to cover the costs. Johnson said there might also be law enforcement grants available for local agencies.
The data improvement proposal, called the Criminal Record Responsibility Act, comes on the heels of a report by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that detailed significant data lapses in the state’s criminal database.
The newspaper found about 40% of the 1.5 million charges in Fulton County’s database are incomplete and about 19,000 charges with missing information are for serious violent felonies. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said the missing information could lead to faulty background checks and inappropriate sentencing.
“As the nation grapples with rising crime, all facets of the judicial system must be properly equipped to respond immediately and effectively,” Duncan said. “Current reporting data shows unacceptable metrics that pose a major public safety risk for communities. Working with partners across the state, our goal is to establish a framework to solve this issue while also strengthening protections for victims in Georgia.”
Duncan said he would be working with state senators and law enforcement officials to solve the issue. Sen. Bo Hatchett, R-Cornelia, who will carry the bill in the Senate, said accurate background checks also are crucial for potential employers, housing companies and occupational licensing boards.
The lieutenant governor’s office said Monday it still was trying to get all stakeholders involved in the data improvement plan.
Duncan also has announced a plan to push legislation that would allow Georgians to make donations to local enforcement agencies in exchange for a tax cut.
