The Columbia Police Department (CPD) with the full support of Columbia City Council announces the
expansion of an initiative that assists citizens encountered by officers during mental health or
behavioral related calls for service.
The existing Pathways Unit is comprised of a South Carolina Department of Mental Health (DMH)
counselor and a CPD officer who is certified as a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) member and crisis
negotiator. The Unit is deployed to calls for service if a citizen requires mental health support.
Typically, the calls received are non-violent in nature but can also be made when a citizen needs
intervention or hospital care. If there is an emergency, the Pathways Unit can assist a mental health
client who may require additional services. Unit members can also make after-hours referrals by
calling a dedicated mobile crisis hotline.
The newly approved expansion will allow additional counselors to join the Pathways Unit and further
its overall mission and services provided.
Chief W.H. ‘Skip’ Holbrook says, “We do not arrest our way out of a crisis. There are people in our
community who need significant mental health intervention and care rather than a bed inside a jail
cell. The partnership joins and develops additional support for those affected by mental illness and
determines specific needs while showing care and compassion.”
Once a referral is made and services utilized by the Pathways Unit, members follow up with a mental
health client at their homes or last known location to determine if additional assistance is needed.
Since the Pathways Unit was deployed last fall, members have made contact with 120 citizens
experiencing some form of mental crisis.
Additionally, since 2018, CPD has been a part of the ‘One Mind Campaign’, an initiative that lays a
foundation for successful interactions between police officers and persons affected by mental
illness. All sworn CPD officers receive basic Mental Health Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) from
certified National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) instructors on a yearly basis. In fact, 179 officers
have received the valuable training.