37-12-1. Definitions.

As used in this chapter, the term:

“Behavioral health crisis” means any circumstance when symptoms of a person’s behavioral health disorder put that person or others at risk for causing personal injury or property damage.#

“Behavioral health disorder” means a mental or emotional illness, developmental disability, or addictive disease.#

“Co-responder program” means a program established through a partnership between a community service board and a law enforcement agency to utilize the combined expertise of peace officers and behavioral health professionals on emergency calls involving behavioral health crises to de-escalate situations and help link individuals with behavioral health issues to appropriate services.#

“Co-responder team” means a team established pursuant to a co-responder program, composed of at least one officer team member and one community service board team member.#

“Communications officer” means and includes any person employed by a public safety agency to receive, process, or transmit public safety information and dispatch law enforcement officers, firefighters, medical personnel, or emergency management personnel.#

“Community service board team member” means a behavioral health professional working at the direction of a community service board who is licensed or certified in this state to provide counseling services or to provide other support services to individuals and their families regarding a behavioral health disorder, and who is part of a co-responder team.#

“Law enforcement agency” means a governmental unit of one or more persons employed full time or part time by the state, a state agency or department, or a political subdivision of the state for the purpose of preventing and detecting crime and enforcing state laws or local ordinances, employees of which unit are authorized to make arrests for crimes while acting within the scope of their authority.#

“Officer team member” means a peace officer who is part of a co-responder team.#

“Public safety agency” means the state or local entity which receives emergency calls placed through an emergency 9-1-1 system and dispatches fire-fighting, law enforcement, emergency medical, or other emergency services.#