Goshen Police Department’s Behavioral Health Response Coordinator James Ballard shows off his new police vehicle designed to reduce trauma during a crisis at an unveiling at Goshen Hospital on Wednesday. Photo by Dani Messick | The Goshen News
GOSHEN — With hopes of continued improvement on mental health services in the city, Goshen unveiled a new police vehicle designed to reduce trauma during a crisis on Wednesday morning.
The new vehicle will be utilized by Goshen Police Officer James Ballard, who serves as the Behavioral Health Response coordinator for the City of Goshen, focusing on mental health crises, substance use disorders, and homelessness.
“This is about compassionate outreach to our community,” Ballard said.
The cost of the vehicle, donated by Label Logic, Borden and Goshen Health Foundation, was about $24,000 in total. It’s a significant upgrade from his around 20-yearold vehicle before.
“This vehicle has not got the high-input engine. It’s not a fast car,” Ballard said. “It’s just a regular police interceptor, all-wheel drive, but it’s the V6 model. It’s subdued. I don’t want to be in front of a house where someone’s in crisis with all the lights going and everything. … When someone’s in crisis and you’ve got the lights going and the police cars our front, maybe an ambulance, that’s a lot of trauma so we’re trying to reduce that.”
The vehicle’s design features a soft graphic signifying the partnership with the Goshen Police Department, tinted windows for privacy, and hidden emergency lights. There is also an emergency kit, Narcan, and a sensory bag called Ben’s Blue Bag.
The bag was developed by Matt Kodicek, a lieutenant for the Crown Point Fire Rescue, whose son is on the autism spectrum. It features headphones, a pain board, fidgets, texture toys and writing instruments.
“My grandson’s on the spectrum, and so it’s kind of important to have this,” Ballard said.
Other officers who are part of the Crisis Intervention Team may also have the bags in their units, thanks to the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office.
The new vehicle will offer a new option to transfer patients to mental health facilities and hopefully decrease the need for ambulances in those scenarios.
“As we know, about 23% of adults experience some kind of mental illness in their lifetime, so this is a prevalent issue and over the last few years, particularly in relationship to COVID, we’ve seen ever-increasing needs in our community related to mental health crises, and we’re working in a multitude of ways to figure out how to support people at their most vulnerable and needly times to make sure that they have a safe and well-cared for response at their time of need and this is just one way that we’re working at doing that,” said Goshen Mayor Gina Leichty.
Leichty said the Goshen Police Department has responded to about 300 mental health calls in the last 2.5 years.
“This year is no different,” said Vice President of the Goshen Health Foundation Jim Caskey. “We’re in the middle of a community health needs assessment and mental health is near the top. … It is imperative that we work together as a community to help people take care of one another.”
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