The Martinsburg Initiative embeds graduate-level Police Support Specialists directly within local law enforcement to address the mental health, substance use, and social service needs that drive people into contact with police. Rather than treating these moments as criminal matters, our specialists step in to de-escalate, connect people to resources, and build pathways toward long-term stability.
Our specialists screen for mental health needs, overdose risk, and social determinants of health, and then connect individuals to crisis counseling, housing assistance, food banks, substance use treatment, legal aid, and more. Every intervention is tailored to the individual.
West Virginia leads the nation in overdose mortality. Since the launch of the PSS program, overdose indicators have shown a sustained and accelerating decline. Provisional overdose fatalities dropped from 1,509 in January 2022 to 827 by January 2025.
Our specialists are a bridge between law enforcement and the services people actually need. In 2025, our team provided:
