Overland Park Crisis Action Team

On an average day, the Overland Park Police Department responds to at least seven calls for service involving mental health issues. The Overland Park Crisis Action Team, OPCAT, provides mental health-related and trauma-informed support during these emergency calls.

The OPCAT includes specially-trained Crisis Intervention Team Specialists and mental health co-responders from Johnson County Mental Health.

What We Do

Members of OPCAT train to respond to all types of crisis calls for service.

OPCAT specialists respond along with co-responders. Co-responders are Johnson County Mental Health clinicians who respond with law enforcement officers when behavioral health is identified as a possible contributing factor at the scene.

Learn more about the important work of OPCAT using the video library below.

Meet the Team

Stewart Brought

913-535-3121
[email protected]

Sergeant Stewart Brought leads the crisis action team. He is Crisis Intervention Team-certified, a member of the Department’s peer support team, and the handler for Haven, the team’s professional therapy K9.

Sgt. Brought began his law enforcement career in 2007. His experience as an officer includes Overland Park, Kansas City, Mo., and Aurora, Co.

Specialty: Crisis Negotiator / Training

Deion Coleman

913-329-5914
[email protected]

Officer Deion Coleman is a member of the crisis action team. He is Crisis Intervention Team-certified and served as a patrol officer in the department prior to joining OPCAT.

Coleman worked as a behavioral health specialist at two different schools in the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools before joining the Overland Park Police Department. Coleman graduated from Hiram College with a bachelor’s degree in general education studies.

Specialty: Youth outreach and engagement

Morgan Hamilton

913-890-1548
[email protected]

Officer Morgan Hamilton is a member of the crisis action team. He is Crisis Intervention Team-certified and served as a patrol officer in the department prior to joining OPCAT.

Hamilton completed the 40-hour CIT training in 2019. He holds a degree in sociology from Kansas State University and served in the Kansas Army National Guard for eight years.

Specialty: Veteran outreach and engagement

Patrick Henry

913-890-1439
[email protected]

Officer Patrick Henry is Crisis Intervention Team-certified, part of the Peer Support team, a Negotiator with the Department’s CNT Unit and a certified De-Escalation instructor.

Henry has worked in various roles at the Overland Park Police Department since 2005, including Criminal Investigations, Special Investigations (Narcotics), Strategic Crime Suppression, the US Marshals Task Force, SWAT and Patrol. He is a certified instructor for Firearms, Defensive Tactics and Taser. Patrick holds a Bachelor’s in Environmental Sciences and a Master’s in Criminal Justice from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Specialty: Crisis negotiator and unsheltered population outreach

Ryan Howerton

913-890-1539
[email protected]

Officer Ryan Howerton is a member of the crisis action team. He is Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Certified and served as a patrol officer prior to joining OPCAT.

Howerton completed the 40-hour CIT training in 2021 as well as advanced CIT youth training and CIT Veteran training in 2022. He is also a member of the Johnson County Prevention and Recovery Coalition. He served in the United States Marine Corps for 10 years prior to working in law enforcement.

Specialty: Substance Abuse / Veteran Outreach and Engagement

Justin Shepherd

913-535-3253
[email protected]

Officer Justin Shepherd is a member of the crisis action team. He is Crisis Intervention Team-certified and served as a patrol officer, field training officer, and school resource officer in the department prior to joining OPCAT.

Shepherd has been a member of the Kansas Law Enforcement Crisis Intervention Team Council in Johnson County since 2018. In 2020, he became a voting member of the Kansas CIT Association (KCITA). In 2021 he became a member of the Johnson County Mental Health Center Advisory Board. Officer Shepherd is also a de-escalation, and mental health first aid instructor.

Specialty: Elderly outreach, Training and community engagement

Madeline Ahern

913-292-4657
[email protected]

Johnson County Mental Health Co-Responder Madeline Ahern is a member of the crisis action team.

Ahern has been a mental health clinician with Johnson County Mental Health Center and Overland Park Police Department since 2021. She graduated from the University of Kansas with her master’s degree in social work. Ahern is licensed in the state of Kansas.

Amy Gallagher

913-669-3049
[email protected]

Johnson County Mental Health Co-Responder Amy Gallagher is a member of the crisis action team.

Gallagher has been a mental health clinician with Johnson County Mental Health and the Overland Park Police Department since 2023. She graduated from the University of Kansas with a master’s degree in Social Work. Co-Responder Gallagher is licensed in the state of Kansas.

Morgan Knight

913-535-3283
[email protected]

Co-Responder Morgan Knight is a team lead for the Overland Park Police Department Crisis Action Team and the Olathe Police Department Advanced Crisis Intervention Team.

Knight has been a mental health clinician with Johnson County Mental Health Center and Overland Park Police Department since 2019. She graduated from the University of Kansas with her master’s degree in social work. Knight is licensed in the state of Kansas.

Emily Mouré

913-535-3282
[email protected]

Johnson County Mental Health Co-Responder Emily Mouré is a member of the crisis action team.

Mouré has served as a mental health clinician with Johnson County Mental Health Center and the Overland Park Police Department since 2025. She graduated from MidAmerica Nazarene University with her master’s degree in counseling. Co-Responder Mouré is licensed in the state of Kansas.

Alex Scott

913-895-6307
[email protected]

Johnson County Mental Health Co-Responder Alex Scott is a member of the crisis action team.

Scott has been a mental health clinician with Johnson County Mental Health and the Overland Park Police Department since 2024. He graduated from the University of Kansas with a master’s degree in social work. Co-Responder Scott is licensed in the state of Kansas.

Britney Waterworth

913-895-6221
[email protected]

Johnson County Mental Health Co-Responder Britney Waterworth is a member of the crisis action team.

Waterworth has been a mental health clinician with Johnson County Mental Health and the Overland Park Police Department since 2022. She graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a master’s degree in counseling and guidance. Waterworth is licensed in Kansas and Missouri.

Shannon Watson-Smith

913-212-6345
[email protected]

Johnson County Mental Health Co-Responder Shannon Watson-Smith is a member of the crisis action team.

Watson-Smith has been a mental health clinician with Johnson County Mental Health and the Overland Park Police Department since 2024. She graduated from MidAmerica Nazarene University with a master’s degree in counseling. Co-Responder Watson-Smith is licensed in the state of Kansas.

Haven

Haven is a rescued black lab who was trained by K9’s for Independence and Freedom.

Haven provides peer support to the Overland Park Police Department and the community, and respond to calls for service with OPCAT.

Watch for our OPCAT Resource Van

If you spot our new OPCAT van at an Overland Park event, please stop by and say hello to one of our officers or co-responders. Several safety resources are available to you, free of charge.

The van isn’t just a vehicle—it’s a mobile extension of our commitment to the community. By stopping by, you’ll have the chance to engage directly with those dedicated to keeping our city safe and well-informed.

First Responder Awareness Program

The First Responder Awareness Program aims to improve communications between first responders and the community, providing practical resources to help Overland Park officers, firefighters and medical personnel quickly identify and respond appropriately to community members who may require a different approach during an interaction.

Officers recognizing these symbols may take extra steps to speak more calmly, avoid abrupt movements, bright lights and sources of overstimulation during an interaction with a community member. They will be more aware that a person might react with sudden, unpredictable movement, may not make eye contact and may not respond verbally.

The program is completely voluntary. Decals, envelopes and cards are available for free at the Myron E. Scafe Building, 8500 Antioch Road, and the Sanders Justice Center, 12400 Foster St.

Overland Park Crisis Action Team

Overland Park Crisis Action Team

Address

What We Do