It’s not every police officer that’s introduced to his new beat from the dais of a film festival panel discussion, but Judson Haynes’ is not every cop.

He’s a navigator, tasked with handling the mentally ill residents police serve and protect in Port Townsend.

Many met and heard of Haynes for the first time when the Port Townsend Film Festival screened the documentary film “Ernie & Joe” Sept. 21. At that event, San Antonio Police officer Ernie Stevens (profiled int he film) was joined for a post-screening panel by Port Townsend Police Chief Mike Evans, National Alliance on Mental Illness of Jefferson County President Valerie Phimister, and Haynes.

Just as the officers featured in the film are members of the San Antonio Police Department’s mental health unit, so too does Haynes respond to certain 911 calls with PT Police officers, with the goals of de-escalating individuals in crisis, steering them away from conflicts, and guiding them toward mental health treatment.

And yes, like the call that Stevens and Smarro responded to in “Ernie & Joe,” Haynes acknowledged that some of his calls can get a little hairy.

“There’s always a potential for risk, especially if there’s substance use, mental illness or a history of violence,” Haynes said. “When appropriate, I try to deflect them from getting incarcerated. If they’re already in the system, I try to divert them toward channels such as behavioral health courts, but ultimately, those channels are up the attorneys. Even if they’re getting out of jail, though, I can provide access to some services.”

While Stevens and Smarro have each other as regular partners, Haynes is the only navigator on the Port Townsend Police Department, so he’s partnered with different officers on just about every call.

“I like being able to experience different personal backgrounds and approaches from call to call,” said Haynes, who conceded that his calls differ from Stevens and Smarro’s in that regard. “One of the things I could really relate to in the film, though, was how much follow-up work the officers had to do.”

Haynes also helps them identify and overcome any barriers they might encounter to those services. This can require months of contacts with the individuals and with the agencies to which he’s referred them.

“Whether it’s mental illness, substance use or traumas they incurred from being veterans, each individual is facing their own obstacles, and you can’t oversimplify what they’re going through,” Haynes said. “It’s not just, ‘Oh, they’re on drugs.’ How long have they been using? Have they taken drugs recently? With vets, a lot of assumptions get made as well, but even if we’ve gotten 10 calls about the same person, we still have to ask, where are they at now?”

Contrary to another popular assumption, close to half of the people Haynes is responding to are not homeless, but they’re nonetheless in the midst of crisis when he encounters them.

Haynes also finds himself dealing with misconceptions that those in need of his help might have about the agencies to which he refers them — “Some of them refuse aid or other services, because they believe these agencies are out to get them” — in addition to letting the community know that, just because they call 911, those who are going through such crises won’t necessarily be met with a punitive response.

“A lot of times, people might worry about calling 911, because they don’t know what will happen,” Haynes said. “But it’s okay. Just because we arrive doesn’t mean someone is automatically getting arrested.”

“When I saw ‘Ernie & Joe,’ it was really powerful,” Haynes said. “I was holding back tears. I hope it helped the public see how complex law enforcement’s role has become. This job is so dynamic, but the heart of it is connecting with people in an authentic way.”

When an attendee of the screening asked who pays for Haynes’s position, Evans told them, “You all do,” referring both to the 1/10th of 1% state sales tax that funds mental health and chemical dependency services, as well as the remaining funds authorized by the Port Townsend City Council this spring, to make Haynes’ position full-time.

“The state fund covered two-thirds of a Jud, so we asked the City Council to kick in that last third, to give us a whole Jud,” Evans said.

Evans thanked Phimister for NAMI’s partnership, and extended credit to other community groups for making available to resources that Haynes is able to direct individuals in crisis toward.