NEWBURY — Newbury police Chief Patricia A. Fisher was recently awarded the Law Enforcement Exemplary Leadership Award from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, accotrding to town officials.
Fisher was honored during Wednesday’s 14th Annual Mental Health & Law Enforcement Conference & Awards Ceremony held at the Boston College School of Law in Newton. Fisher was awarded the recognition for her advocacy for mental health resources and jail diversion programs.
“I am humbled to be recognized by the Department of Mental Health. Law enforcement partnerships with social service agencies are critical in ensuring public safety and community wellness. Law enforcement officers are called to respond to all types of crises, and having designated mental health clinicians on staff and available not only assists our officers when responding, but also allows our residents to obtain the necessary care and resources,” Fisher said.
The Law Enforcement Exemplary Award is awarded to leaders in law enforcement who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, dedication, and commitment toward their work within law enforcement and a passion for both public safety and assisting individuals with mental health, trauma, or other behavioral health difficulties.
Prior to her work in law enforcement, Fisher was a domestic violence advocate liaison for the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center, working with the courts and police departments on a variety of cases.
In 2003, she joined the Newbury Police Department, rising to the rank of chief in 2022. Throughout her career in Newbury, Fisher worked as a domestic violence and sexual assault investigator and was the liaison between the Newbury Police Department and local social service agencies, and the Newbury Council on Aging.
Fisher has been a strong advocate for community engagement, ensuring that all residents and community members have a support system around them for a variety of challenges, from mental health to food insecurity. This past year, Fisher formed a partnership with the First Parish Newbury Food Pantry to have the department act as a 24/7 food donation site for nonperishable goods.
Fisher is also vice president of the Essex County Chief of Police Association and, for the past two years, has advocated before the Essex County Legislature to support the Department of Mental Health’s Jail Diversion Program funding.
Being a driving force for mental health advocacy, Fisher has overseen the Department of Mental Health Jail Diversion Program Grant, which offers a regional co-response clinician from Lahey Behavioral Health, to five smaller communities: Boxford, Georgetown, Groveland, Newbury, and Rowley. The departments utilize this program by making referrals to the clinicians’ confidential clinician for follow-up care and resources.
Additionally, the clinician co-responds with police to safe scene mental health calls in an effort to immediately connect the community member with appropriate mental health services. The goal of the program is to, when possible, divert arrests and unnecessary hospitalizations by redirecting appropriate parties into immediate mental health services, which otherwise wouldn’t be available to law enforcement around the clock.
“There is a growing need for sustainable, adequate, and long-term funding for partnerships between law enforcement and mental health clinicians. In past years the state has threatened significant cuts for these services, which hinder the response of our officers and our community. I am proud that I am able to be a part of these growing initiatives to best support the Newbury community,” Fisher said.