ASHLAND — The Police Department is leaving a regional jail diversion program it had formed with three nearby communities. The Holliston, Hopkinton and Sherborn police departments remain in the program, which is run in conjunction with Advocates Inc. of Framingham. "As our officers worked beside the Jail Diversion Program clinicians, we saw a paradigm shift in the way our department perceived and handled mental health crisis calls," Bennett said. As a direct result, we have had fewer mental health calls result in arrests and more specialized care administered to our community members." Although the town benefited from the Jail Diversion Program, Briggs said Ashland residents should not be worried about mental health services.

Source: MetroXpress July 30, 2021 16:18 UTC