The planning began when the National GAINS Center invited three Rensselaer County representatives to attend the center's Regional Forum in Orlando, Fla., in June 1996. The forum offered opportunities to provide state-of-the-art information, exchange ideas, and assist teams to develop strategies to integrate services for individuals with co-occurring disorders in various justice systems. Each of the team members looked at gaps across systems from multidisciplinary perspectives, and a working action plan was created, noting which services to add and which to enhance. To implement the plan, the first step was communicating with key county administrators about the strategies and ideas developed during the forum; the first forensic task force meeting was held in August 1996. Plans were developed to address major problems and then focus on areas where an intersystem of collaboration would be developed. Once the task force achieved a working level of cooperation and coordination, joint planning of policies, procedures, and services needed to deal with the targeted population began. This article concludes by highlighting accomplishments to date in the areas of jail diversion; jail assessment, treatment, and referral; aftercare; and integration. 9 references