DANVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Danville and Pittsylvania County officials have launched the “Marcus Alert Program,” a new initiative that pairs behavioral health professionals with law enforcement during certain mental health emergencies.
The program is part of Virginia’s Marcus Alert System, which was established under the Marcus David Peters Act, passed by state lawmakers in 2020. The legislation is named after Marcus David Peters, who was shot and killed by police during a mental health crisis in 2018.
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The Marcus Alert System is unique to Virginia and aims to reduce the need for law enforcement to serve as the default response to every behavioral health emergency. Depending on the situation, individuals who call 911 or 988 may receive a response from a clinician who can assess their needs and connect them with appropriate mental health resources.
For local leaders, the launch represents years of collaboration between mental health providers and law enforcement agencies.
“One thing that I want to share is: back in 2012 was our first crisis intervention team training, and at that time, mental health and law enforcement didn’t even know each other’s name or who to call for help,” said Melanie Tosh, Director of Behavioral Health Services with Danville-Pittsylvania Community Services.
While Virginia law requires community services boards to implement the Marcus Alert framework, a co-response program like the one launched in Danville and Pittsylvania County is not mandated.
Law enforcement leaders say the partnership will help officers access behavioral health expertise more quickly when responding to crisis situations.
“At the end of the day, we’re not experts on those, and when we had a situation that rose to the level where we really needed an expert there, oftentimes we needed to wait minutes or even hours for that person to respond,” said Danville Police Chief Wiles.
Pittsylvania County Sheriff Mike Taylor said he believes the program is already changing how officers approach mental health-related calls.
“I’m excited about the program. It’s given our officers a new perspective on mental health issues,” Taylor said.
Officials say the program will help strengthen mental health crisis response efforts across the region while providing people in crisis with faster access to care and support.
Under Virginia law, all community services boards across the Commonwealth are required to implement the Marcus Alert System by July 1, 2028.