As the town of Erie has grown over the years, officials have seen increasing demand for coresponders in the community. A coresponder is a mental health professional who works closely with law enforcement to respond to calls involving people in crisis, according to Boulder County Coresponder Laura Ostrow. “We are behavioral health and mental health professionals,” Ostrow said.
“We have experience in deescalation, crisis management and mental health. “All of us have come together to support those types of calls involving community members who may be struggling,” Ostrow said. Erie coresponders have seen a 62% increase in calls — from 373 in 2023 to 604 calls in 2024, according to the Erie Police Department.
“For about three months, Laura was the sole coresponder for the town of Erie, handling the increased call volume seamlessly,” a post from the department on X says. Ostrow believes they are seeing an influx in calls for service because more residents are aware that coresponders are available in the area. “Actually, our team has seen increases in our numbers each year since its inception,” Ostrow said.
“And part of that is attributed to just the actual growth of our team, starting with four team members (in the Boulder County team) in 2020. “Our team has grown exponentially and our numbers have also been increased based on capacity. I would also say a lot of (the growth in calls) is due to the relationship and trust that we’ve been building,” Ostrow .
