Clarksville Weighs Mobile Crisis Co-Response Expansion
Clarksville Police and Centerstone are considering an agreement that would place licensed therapists alongside officers on mental health crisis calls.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Mental Health
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The Clarksville Police Department and Centerstone are considering a memorandum of understanding to expand mobile crisis co-response services for children, youth and adults. The arrangement is backed by a $750,000 annual grant running over four years.
Why it matters
Police uniforms can add stress for people in crisis, and pairing officers with licensed therapists aims to address mental health calls with a more appropriate response for Clarksville residents. The model is also expected to free patrol officers from repeat calls.
The program is funded by a $750,000 annual grant over four years and would add three Centerstone employees to assist police with mental health calls. The projected reductions in repeat calls and call length have not been quantified in the available extraction.
The players
Clarksville Police Department
The Clarksville Police Department is the municipal law enforcement agency serving Clarksville, Tennessee, and is a party to the proposed agreement.
Centerstone
Centerstone is a nonprofit behavioral health provider that would supply the licensed therapists and three staff members for the mobile crisis program.
Ty Burdine
Ty Burdine is the Clarksville Police Chief who presented the proposal to the City Council.
The details
Licensed therapists would respond alongside police to mental health crisis calls, with Crisis Intervention Team trained officers riding along with them. Centerstone employees would work in an administrative capacity and a dedicated office would be provided for follow-ups with people in crisis.
Timeline
Oct. 29: Clarksville Police Chief Ty Burdine addressed the City Council about the program.
Thursday, Oct. 5, at 6 p.m.: The City Council is scheduled to vote on the memorandum of understanding during its regular meeting.
Mental Health Landscape
The Clarksville plan builds on Crisis Intervention Team training by pairing trained officers with licensed therapists on the same calls. It reflects a shift toward treating mental health crises as a clinical matter rather than solely a policing one.
If approved, residents experiencing a mental health crisis could receive a response from a licensed therapist alongside police rather than officers alone. Follow-up care would be available through a dedicated office for people in crisis.
The takeaway
Pairing licensed therapists with trained officers can make mental health crisis responses more clinical and less confrontational. Residents in crisis should be aware that such services may become available through local police partnerships.
What happens next
The Clarksville City Council will vote on the memorandum of understanding at its regular meeting on Thursday, Oct. 5, at 6 p.m.
Further reading
Explore more on Mental Health coverage affecting Clarksville residents.
Source note: This article includes information reported by ClarksvilleNow.com - News, Weather & Events in Clarksville, TN.
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