The Boulder County Co-Responder Program was launched in late 2020, pairing law enforcement with behavioral health professionals, Co-Responders with expertise in mental health, addiction, counseling, and social work to respond to calls for service with a behavioral health component. Program services also include clinical case management, which provides ongoing support to community members following a service call or a direct referral from law enforcement.
The end of 2025 marked a milestone of five full years of Co-Responder services since the program’s inception. Over this time, the program has grown substantially and has been recognized in the community for its positive impact on thousands of Boulder County residents. The following report highlights program impacts and successes over the past five years of implementation and outlines future directions. This executive summary captures key program highlights.
The Boulder County Co-Responder Program was created through a collaborative partnership between Boulder County Community Services and the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), with support from a five-year grant from the Colorado Office of Behavioral Health (OBH), now the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA). The Co-Responder Program was launched in December 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the need for behavioral health service support was augmented in ways that were new and challenging for the region. From the beginning of the project, the Co-Responder Program has focused on implementing the hub-and-spoke model. This model designates Boulder County Community Services as the “hub,” with six “spoke” agencies (Lafayette Police Department, Erie Police Department, BCSO Unincorporated Boulder County, BCSO Superior, BCSO Nederland, and Louisville Police Department) that contract with the hub to support local communities. Although Co-Responders are housed in specific locations, they are cross-trained to support any individual in need within Boulder County.
