Melrose Police Add Mental Health Detective To Department

MELROSE, MA – A mental health detective is set to join the Melrose Police Department to oversee incidents involving substance use and mental health crises.

Daniel Riordan will be the new mental health detective, working alongside Stoneham Police clinician Danielle Visone, thanks to grant funding from the Department of Mental Health.

Riordan and Visone will respond in-person to calls for service involving mental health or substance misuse disorder whenever possible, and will also offer follow-up care and community resources to those who have been involved in incidents, Melrose police said in an announcement on their website.

“We’ve seen a revolving door of people making suicidal statements and we often see them getting out of the hospital in just a few hours,” Riordan said in the announcement on the need to offer more resources.

Melrose Police said they hope the focus on community outreach will limit repeat trips to emergency rooms and unnecessary arrests.

Visone works with Outreach Recovery Coordinator Tracy Rizzo of the Eliot Community Human Service and holds a master’s degree in education and mental health counseling. She previously worked with the Lynn Police Behavioral Health Unit.

Visone said she has always had a passion for helping people, and has always been a person people could talk to.

“I’ve had my own struggles in life too, so now that I’m on the other side of that I can help people see there’s a better way, connect them with resources and help them feel safe,” she said. “It's important to meet people where they are without judgment and to have compassion. A lot of people are afraid of being judged or are treated poorly when they do get treatment and that pushes them away.”

Melrose Police Chief Kevin Faller said because a large majority of the calls the department responds to daily involve mental health and substance abuse, it is important to have a program in place to address the issues on several fronts.

“We want to make sure that not only are we conducting proper follow-up on these calls to help those in need, but we also need to have a strong proactive approach as well,” Faller said. “The roles and responsibilities of police officers and what is expected of us have changed considerably in my career and it is important that as professionals we adapt and deliver the quality services that members of our community deserve, especially those suffering from mental health and substance abuse.”