Mental Health

Emergencies Dial 911

Non-Emergencies Dial 413-625-8200 for assistance from an on-duty Officer. The Sunderland Police is proud to announce a new partnership program with CSO (Clinical & Support Options) to provide mental health & crisis support for the diverse community within the Town of Sunderland.  CSO's vision is simple, "Compassionate care for all human beings."

The partnership program not only allows our Department to train our Officers on the new challenges & obstacles regarding mental and crisis awareness, but will now co-employ a Mental Health Clinician within our Department, available in-person to the community.  We will continue our goal of providing a modern and progressive approach to policing and above all, working and growing with our community together!

You can use the links below, to provide information for you or a loved one.  To speak with CSO's Crisis services you can call them directly at 413-774-5411 or you can call our Dispatch Center at 413-625-8200.

Clinical & Support Options (CSO) 

Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH)                           

Navigating a Mental Health Crisis | NAMI Massachusetts

Community Behavioral Health Centers

The Sunderland Police were awarded a Regional Jail Diversion Grant, which enables us to work alongside a co-responding clinician to assist with mental health calls.

SUNDERLAND                            WHATELY                                HATFIELD

    Motivated by a regional history of mental health-related crises and acknowledgement that police response might not be the most appropriate for such calls, the Sunderland Police Department worked with Departments in Whately & Hatfield to share mental health clinician co-response services. We were able to work with the Department of Mental Health on their Jail Diversion Grant Program and successfully partnered with CSO (Clinical & Support Options) out of Greenfield, MA.  We applied for and were awarded the grant, albeit on a Part-Time basis, with the anticipation of increasing the hours as the need arises. The co-response clinical supervisor, who is employed by the mental health agency CSO, would be tasked with responding to mental health-related calls with the aid of on-duty officers.

As the departments received grant funding, it allows a designated police officer to accompany the clinician to calls within participating towns. The benefit of a co-response program stems from diverse skill sets between Law Enforcement & CSO.  Pairing them together brings the residents of Sunderland, Whately & Hatfield a new solution to Mental Health calls and attempting to reduce the stigma associated with them.

Sunderland Police Chief Erik J. Demetropoulos is optimistic that the grant award would increase for the 3-towns in the future, enabling our Departments to provide more to our residents. The model the 3-towns are using follows the lead other Departments have been awarded over the past 1-2 years.

“Partnering with CSO & Whately Police Chief James Sevigne, Hatfield Police Chief Michael Dekoschak & Lt. Clinton Phillips streamlined our efforts in obtaining the grant to offer the best possible service to our residents going forward.  We will provide more information soon on when the clinician will be riding along with our Officers and what to do when they’re not working.  We anticipate it starting in mid-December”, said Chief Demetropoulos.