A chunk of federal money is coming to Long Beach for a program that law enforcement says is slowly making a dent in diverting offenders into treatment with the click of a button.
In a news release Friday, the Department of Justice promised $350,000 to the office of Long Beach City Prosecutor Doug Haubert to improve, and potentially expand, its ‘Guides app,’ which police use to connect qualifying offenders with treatment instead of jail or citation.
“It’s for those who may benefit more from social services than a criminal record — such as those who are homeless, or have mental health or substance-use issues,” Haubert said Friday.
The app, used from an LBPD-issued phone, allows officers to see if a person is enrolled in any social services and has a case manager, as well as the hours, phone number and availability of nearby shelters, clinics and providers. It also lets officers refer people to services, using basic info like a name and birthdate.
Since its formal launch in July 2023 — the pandemic stalled the app’s deployment for several years — more than 150 people have been referred to shelter or treatment.
It plays a vital role in an otherwise hamstrung process, Haubert said Friday. A 911 call may seem straightforward to the caller, but it can quickly turn into a fragmented mess, as each department involved — police, fire, health and prosecutors — runs its own database and doesn’t often do the best job sharing information.
With the new funding, officials will also look to expand the app to other law enforcement agencies in L.A. County, from Santa Monica to Signal Hill.
Without the app, officers have few options and limited information in dealing with at-risk offenders whose crimes often arise from untreated mental illness. While the average officer is trained to answer calls, they’re not always equipped to deal with somebody who is mentally ill, addicted to drugs or in need of a place to sleep.
“If a person accepts services from police or prosecutors in Long Beach, we make that information available to other officers so that they can reconnect that person to their case manager or their service providers instead of arresting them,” Haubert said.
Many referrals are sent to LEAD, a pre-booking diversion program Long Beach expanded in April 2022. It was previously used in the city’s northside neighborhoods from 2017 to 2020 and diverted 300 people from incarceration — most of whom stayed out of jail, according to evaluators at Cal State Long Beach.
“Both the app and LEAD, though, go back several years, and stem from efforts to give officers the necessary tools to (divert) low-level offenders away from unnecessary jail time and into treatment,” Haubert said.
Diversion programs exist to pull qualifying people from the criminal justice system that would likely further their mental deterioration.
It comes as California and Los Angeles County look to divert more mentally ill offenders who are incarcerated. About 45% of inmates in the county jail system experience mental health problems, up from 27% in 2017. Most would be eligible for a diversion program if it were made available.
“Homelessness is one of the biggest challenges facing Long Beach, and we need to effectively develop comprehensive solutions,” wrote Congressman Robert Garcia, D-Long Beach. “This grant will give officers the tools needed to guide people away from the criminal justice system and toward resources like shelters and service providers.”