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ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE & CO-RESPONDER PROGRAMS

Right Responder.
Right Call. Right Outcome.

We help cities, counties, and 911 centers stand up alternative response and co-responder programs that route the right resource to the right call, diverting non-emergency calls from sworn officers and improving outcomes for behavioral health, substance use, and quality-of-life situations.

NOT EVERY CALL NEEDS A BADGE

A Badge and a Gun Should Not Be the First Answer
to a Crisis of the Mind

A conservative one in four fatal police encounters in America involves someone in mental health crisis. Higher-quality studies put the number closer to one in three, and in some jurisdictions it is closer to one in two. When the response matrix is a patrol officer with a firearm, the outcomes skew lethal, for the person in crisis, the officer, and every family standing on the other end of a 911 call.

Sentinel STAR, our Specialized Team for Alternative Response framework, is how we answer that problem. STAR pairs trained clinicians and unarmed crisis responders with law enforcement and fire/EMS, integrating dispatch protocols, data-sharing, technology, and outcome measurement so the right resource gets to the right call at the right time. Pilots that were going nowhere get built into operational programs. Co-responder partnerships survive the data-privacy conversation. Mobile crisis teams get the call before the scene has already gone wrong.

1 IN 4

Fatal Police Encounters Involve Mental Illness

180,000

LAPD Mental Health Calls Per Year

SENTINEL STAR

Our Alternative Response Framework

CHALLENGE

The challenge we solve.

Alternative response programs often start with a grant-funded pilot and stall on the technology. Call-type coding does not route the right calls. CAD does not share data with the behavioral health team. Outcome tracking is a spreadsheet. When the grant cycle ends and the program has to demonstrate impact to the council, the data simply is not there, and a program that was saving lives quietly loses its funding. Sentinel brings the operational discipline and the technology integration these programs need to last past the pilot phase. We redesign call triage, integrate CAD with community responder platforms, build the data sharing agreements with behavioral health partners, and put the outcome reporting in place so the program’s value is visible to every stakeholder.

THE ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE REALITY

Built for calls that do not need a badge or an ambulance.

Mental health calls, wellness checks, homelessness outreach, non-violent disputes, and low-acuity medical calls do not always need a police response or a full EMS transport. Alternative response programs (mobile crisis teams, co-responder units, community responders) are reshaping how communities handle the 30 to 50 percent of calls that were never well-served by a traditional public safety response. Sentinel specializes in the technology and governance that make these programs work: CAD integration, call-type triage logic, response time tracking, data sharing with 988 and behavioral health partners, and the outcome reporting that keeps the program funded.

CHALLENGE

The challenge we solve.

Alternative response programs often start with a grant-funded pilot and stall on the technology. Call-type coding does not route the right calls. CAD does not share data with the behavioral health team. Outcome tracking is a spreadsheet. When the grant cycle ends and the program has to demonstrate impact to the council, the data simply is not there, and a program that was saving lives quietly loses its funding.
Sentinel brings the operational discipline and the technology integration these programs need to last past the pilot phase. We redesign call triage, integrate CAD with community responder platforms, build the data sharing agreements with behavioral health partners, and put the outcome reporting in place so the program’s value is visible to every stakeholder.

COMMON CHALLENGES

Why Alternative Response Programs Stall

Triage at the 911 Console

Without disciplined call-handling protocols, even the best alternative response program never gets the call. Triage is the gate, and most agencies haven’t built it.

Data Sharing Across Disciplines

Police, fire, EMS, behavioral health, social services, and hospitals all hold pieces of the picture. Without HIPAA-aware MOAs and tech that respects them, the right hand never sees what the left hand is doing.

Vendor & Platform Sprawl

Crisis hotlines, dispatch CAD, EHRs, case management, and reporting systems rarely talk to each other. Hand-keying data between platforms is where programs quietly collapse.

Workforce Recruitment & Retention

Licensed clinicians, paramedics, and trained crisis workers are scarce and expensive. Programs designed around an idealized staffing model never reach scale.

Outcome Measurement Gaps

Without a defined outcome framework on day one, agencies can’t prove diversion, can’t prove cost avoidance, and can’t defend the program at budget time.

Funding Sustainability

Pilot grants run out. Without a plan to braid Medicaid, ARPA, BJA, SAMHSA, and local funding, the program dies just as it starts to work.

OUR APPROACH

Operations First. Triage Discipline.
Outcome Accountability.

We have run 911 consoles, dispatched mobile crisis teams, integrated CAD with EHRs, and built the outcome dashboards that survive city council scrutiny. That mix of operations and engineering is exactly what alternative response programs need to scale beyond the pilot.

Vendor-Neutral Engineering

We do not take vendor commissions, resell software, or carry exclusive partnerships. Every recommendation is filtered through what is right for your call volume, your community, and your funding model.

A Team, Not a Single Consultant

Every engagement draws on a bench of dispatchers, sworn officers, paramedics, behavioral health practitioners, data engineers, and grant strategists, the right expert for the question on the table.

Operations-First Design

Triage protocols, dispatch workflows, response thresholds, and closeout procedures shape the program more than any single platform. We design the operations first and let the technology serve the operation.

Standards-Aligned Architecture

NENA i3 NG911, IAED EMD/EFD/EPD, SAMHSA crisis care guidelines, NIBRS, HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2, we engineer to the standards that matter so your program is interoperable, fundable, and defensible.

CORE CAPABILITIES

End-to-End Advisory
From Pilot to Permanent Program

Organizational Change Management

Standing up an alternative response program changes how dispatchers, officers, paramedics, and clinicians work. We build the training, communication, and governance to make it stick.

Risk & Program Assessment

Call data analysis, diversion opportunity sizing, regulatory and liability assessment, and gap analysis against SAMHSA and IAED standards, with a remediation roadmap.

Vendor Selection & Procurement

Vendor-neutral RFP development, technical evaluation, and contract negotiation for CAD upgrades, mobile crisis platforms, EHR integrations, and case management software.

Program & Project Management

Multi-stakeholder programs spanning city government, behavioral health authorities, hospital systems, and community partners, with structured milestones and accountability for every workstream.

Managed Services & Staff Augmentation

Embedded subject-matter experts for triage protocol maintenance, data integration support, outcome reporting, and continuous quality improvement.

Independent Verification & Validation

Third-party review of program performance, vendor deliverables, and grant compliance, so you know your alternative response model is delivering what it promised.
THE SENTINEL DIFFERENCE · FROM CALL TO CLINICAL CONNECTION

From the 911 call to the clinical connection, Sentinel closes the loop.

Alternative response is the newest and most-watched discipline in public safety. Every step from triage to handoff to follow-up has to be designed. This signature shows the flow and where Sentinel sits most actively.

STEP 1 CALL 911 or 311 intake Routing for review, non-emergency filter STEP 2 TRIAGE Clinical screen Risk assessment, response matching CORE · SENTINEL DEPLOY Response team Clinician + officer, social worker paired STEP 4 STABILIZE On-scene De-escalation, clinical intervention STEP 5 CONNECT Follow-up Wraparound services, case management SENTINEL · FROM CALL TO CLINICAL CONNECTION
Specialized Services

Specialized support for the program that has to prove itself every budget cycle.

Three ongoing services that keep alternative response programs operational, not just launched. Program operations once the press releases end, outcome analytics that justify continued funding, and dispatch protocols tuned to route the right response the first time.

01

Co-Responder Program Operations

Ongoing operational support for mental health and alternative response programs, post-launch through maturity.

Program Development
02

Outcome Measurement & Program Justification Analytics

Structured data models to justify funding, demonstrate effectiveness, and report to council and grant funders.

Oversight
03

Dispatch Diversion & Triage Protocol Design

Safe and effective call diversion strategies built with dispatch, patrol, and clinical teams aligned.

Optimization
Explore Specialized Services →

OUR PRACTICES

Four practices. One standard of delivery.

Every Sentinel engagement is governed by proprietary practices built for the realities of alternative response technology, 988-to-911 handoff, clinical documentation, and outcome tracking, not borrowed from commercial IT playbooks.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

Sentinel Delivery Framework™

How we govern programs.

PMP-disciplined program governance structured for political visibility, audit defensibility, and multi-administration continuity. Every milestone, deliverable, and decision gate is designed for the public-sector reality, where council turnover, budget cycles, and federal funding rules shape the timeline more than any vendor’s project plan.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Sentinel Readiness Method™

How we prepare your people.

Organizational change management built for the field team van, the dispatch console, and the behavioral health crisis center, not the corporate campus. We design adoption strategies informed by shift schedules, union dynamics, civil service rules, and the operational reality that your systems cannot go dark for training. When the new program launches, the people behind the console are ready.

CONFIGURATION AUTHORITY

Sentinel Deployment Blueprint™

How we own the configuration.

Configuration authority for co-responder dispatch integration, mobile crisis response workflows, and behavioral-health referral systems. Sentinel owns the foundational decisions around CRU call-type routing, protocol handoffs, and cross-agency data sharing, producing the Blueprint, training, and administrator documentation that keeps alternative response operationally accountable as the program scales.

VALUE ASSURANCE

Sentinel Value Assurance™

How we prove the value.

Post-deployment governance for your alternative-response technology investment. Sentinel independently measures whether diversion rates, outcome tracking, and cross-system coordination specified at procurement are being realized, and documents where outcomes diverge from agreement.

Ongoing Retainer
Sentinel Sustain™

After engagement closes, Sentinel Sustain keeps the practice active across the life of the investment. Three tiers: Core, Active, and Strategic.

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DEEP EXPERTISE

Domain Mastery Across Every Layer
of the Alternative Response Stack

Call Triage & Dispatch Protocols

  • IAED Emergency Police Dispatch (EPD) integration
  • Behavioral health triage tools (CSSRS, ALGEE, MHFA)
  • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline coordination protocols
  • Co-location vs. co-respond vs. divert decision frameworks
  • Real-time triage QA and call review programs
  • After-hours and weekend coverage modeling
  • Multilingual and ASL interpretation integration

CAD & RMS Integration

  • NG911 i3 architecture and call data routing
  • CAD-to-EHR, CAD-to-case-management bridging
  • Multi-discipline talkpath and unit recommendation logic
  • Real-time location services for mobile teams
  • Mobile data terminal (MDT) integration for field crews
  • Computer-aided patient care record (ePCR) handoff
  • Backup dispatch and continuity-of-operations design

Mobile Crisis & Co-Responder Models

  • Co-responder team design (clinician + officer pairs)
  • Independent mobile crisis team architecture
  • Community paramedicine and MIH integration
  • Quick response team (QRT) and post-overdose followup
  • Forensic peer support and lived-experience workforce
  • Mobile crisis stabilization unit (MCSU) operations
  • Non-police response staffing models (CAHOOTS, STAR, MHAD)

Behavioral Health Coordination

  • CCBHC and CMHC partnership architecture
  • Crisis stabilization, sobering center, and respite referrals
  • Hospital ED diversion and warm-handoff protocols
  • SUD treatment access and MAT bridging
  • Housing first and homelessness response coordination
  • Veteran-specific crisis and SUD pathways
  • Tribal and rural behavioral health integration

Data, Privacy & Compliance

  • HIPAA-compliant data sharing across disciplines
  • 42 CFR Part 2 substance use confidentiality
  • Cross-system MOA and BAA development
  • Role-based access control across CAD, EHR, RMS
  • CJIS-compliant data handling for sworn-civilian teams
  • Consent, release, and minor-treatment frameworks
  • Audit logging and incident response procedures

Outcome Measurement & Evaluation

  • Program logic models and theory of change
  • Diversion rate, hospital ED reduction, recidivism tracking
  • Cost avoidance modeling for council and funder reporting
  • Equity and disparate impact analysis frameworks
  • Real-time dashboard design for operational leadership
  • External evaluation partnership scoping (universities, RDA)
  • Grant reporting (BJA, SAMHSA, HRSA, ARPA) automation

PITFALLS TO AVOID

Mistakes That Doom
Alternative Response Programs

01

Launching Without Triage Protocols

A mobile crisis team that never gets the call is a mobile crisis team that gets defunded. Triage protocols at the 911 console are step one, not an afterthought.

02

Treating It as a Tech Problem

New CAD modules and case management platforms do not reduce officer-response calls. The work is operations, governance, and culture, the technology serves the work.

03

Skipping the Data-Sharing MOA

Without a 42 CFR Part 2 and HIPAA-aware data sharing agreement signed before launch, your clinicians and your dispatchers are working blind to each other.

04

One Vendor for Everything

No single vendor does CAD, EHR, mobile crisis dispatch, case management, and outcome reporting well. The right architecture stitches best-of-breed systems together.

05

No Outcome Framework

If you cannot say in concrete numbers what success looks like (diversion rate, hospital ED reduction, cost avoidance, equity outcomes) you cannot defend the program at budget time.

06

Pilot-Forever Syndrome

Programs that never graduate from grant funding to general fund stall and die. Sustainability planning starts on day one of the pilot, not at month 36.

YOUR TEAM

Practitioners and Engineers in the Same Room

Justin Scott

MANAGING PARTNER · OPERATIONS & CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Designed and delivered the organizational change management methodology that moves agencies from legacy operations to new service models, including co-responder programs that require rethinking dispatch protocols, technology workflows, and cross-agency coordination.

Amber Jacoby

NURSING ADMINISTRATION · HEALTHCARE OPERATIONS

Registered Nurse and Nursing Administrator whose clinical and healthcare administration background grounds Sentinel’s understanding of the behavioral health, EMS, and crisis intervention technology that co-responder programs depend on.

Also Supporting Your Program

With 20+ years of law enforcement experience spanning patrol, investigations, school resource, and corrections roles, Nicholas advises on the law enforcement perspective of co-responder and alternative response programs, diversion, de-escalation, and community-based response.
HOW WE WORK TOGETHER

Four ways to bring Sentinel into a alternative response program.

The right engagement depends on where the program is in its operating lifecycle. Each tier has its own scope discipline and its own deliverable cadence.

Sentinel Sustain

Managed Technology Subscription

End-to-end managed operations for the dispatch routing, behavioral-health response, case management, and outcome-tracking infrastructure Sentinel helped you deploy. Sustainment, vendor coordination, HIPAA-aware integration discipline, and 24/7 response support. The right team is still being dispatched to the right call, because someone is still accountable for the routing logic.

We govern the program. We never sell the platforms.

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Sentinel Guardian

Retained Governance & Advisory

Ongoing retainer with quarterly governance reviews, pre-decision advisory, and an open line for council briefings, behavioral-health partner coordination, and vendor escalations. The program has independent counsel on the technology side of the table, before the next budget defense, the next outcomes report, or the next coverage expansion.

Sentinel documents. We do not litigate.

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Practice-Led Engagement

Anchored to one of the four signature practices

Anchored to one of SDF, SRM, SDB, or SVA. Best when the program knows which discipline is needed: a co-responder dispatch integration, behavioral-health partner change readiness, configuration authority on data-sharing, or post-deployment outcome governance. Fixed scope, named practice, defined deliverables.

Independent. Practitioner-led. Vendor-neutral.

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The Integrated Package

Specialized Services + Practice + Institute

A specialized service plus a signature practice plus Sentinel Institute training, packaged as a single integrated engagement. For jurisdictions standing up a new alternative response program from scratch and building the institutional capacity to defend it through three election cycles.

Cutting-edge. Never bleeding-edge.

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READY TO BUILD A PROGRAM THAT LASTS?

Let’s Build Alternative Response
That Actually Delivers Outcomes

Whether you’re piloting a co-responder team, scaling a mobile crisis program, integrating CAD with behavioral health partners, or planning the move from grant funding to general fund, Sentinel brings the operations, engineering, and program evaluation experience to get it right.
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