Colorado State Representative Leslie Herod saw a gap in mental health services in Denver and decided to do something about it. With the help of a van, a mental health professional, and an EMT, the Support Team Assistance Response (STAR) program was born – and six months in, it has proved effective at fielding mental health calls received by the Denver Police Department. Rep. Herod joins us to talk about STAR’s success, her personal stake in it, and other state-level measures being taken to modernize the current system of policing. 

Keep up with Julián on twitter @JulianCastro and Instagram @JulianCastroTX. 

Resources from the episode:

• Caring for Denver, the foundation helping to fund STAR
• STAR denverite.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2021/02/STAR_Pilot_6_Month_Evaluation_FINAL-REPORT.pdf">6-month evaluation
• Servicios de la Raza, community services for Denverites 
• SB 217 explained, courtesy of Colorado Public Radio
• Eugene, Oregon’s CAHOOTS, the program that started it all

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 anytime, or chat with them online. The Crisis Text Line also provides support over text at 741741. For people who identify as LGBTQ, the Trevor Project's Lifeline can be reached at 1-866-488-7386.

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