A Fulton County crisis-response program that has handled more than 500 emergency calls since May 2026 could expand to Johns Creek, where the police department already runs its own mental health co-responder team.
The Co-Responder program, known as CoRe, pairs Fulton County Sheriff's Office deputies with licensed behavioral health clinicians to respond to calls involving people in mental health emergencies. In four months, the teams have connected over 100 people to treatment and support services, Atlanta News First reported Tuesday, Sept. 29.
The pilot currently covers five cities in South Fulton. The sheriff's office said it hopes to expand the program countywide, though whether that expansion would overlap with the Johns Creek Police Department's existing co-responder program is unclear.
"The jail has become the de facto behavioral health crisis center, and that's not where they go to receive treatment," Afrika Cotton, program manager at Fulton County Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, told Atlanta News First.
The program grew out of persistent overcrowding at the Fulton County Jail. In May 2026, Sheriff Patrick "Pat" Labat announced the office would stop accepting most misdemeanor arrestees, citing deteriorating facility conditions. At a July community town hall, Labat told 11Alive that less than one percent of the jail's charges are misdemeanors, and most of those involve domestic violence or mental health issues.
In the field, small adjustments matter. Deputy Stephen Johnson, assigned to the CoRe unit, recalled arriving at a scene where multiple patrol cars had their emergency lights flashing. He told the sergeant to shut them off because blue lights can be "a manic trigger" for a person in crisis.
Handing crisis calls to the CoRe team also frees patrol officers to respond to other emergencies, according to Atlanta News First.
The county has committed $23 million to mental health care in 2026, including free counseling for uninsured children and adults, according to a Fulton County government announcement. The JCPD's co-responder program operates separately at the city level. State Rep. Michelle Au, whose 50th District includes Johns Creek, praised that program on X in August 2026:
No timeline for countywide CoRe expansion has been announced. How the county program would work alongside the JCPD's existing team remains an open question for Johns Creek residents.
