SJC Exchange Library

Law enforcement agencies across the country are being challenged by a growing number of calls for service involving people who have mental health needs. Increasingly, officers are called on to be the first—and often the only—responders to calls involving people experiencing a mental health crisis. These calls can be among the most complex and time-consuming for officers to resolve, redirecting them from addressing other public safety concerns and violent crime. They can also draw intense public scrutiny and can be potentially dangerous for officers and people who have mental health needs. When these calls come into 911/ dispatch, the appropriate community-based resources are often lacking to make referrals, and more understanding is needed to relay accurate information to officers. As such, there is increasing urgency to ensure that officers and 911 dispatchers have the training, tools, and support to safely connect people to needed mental health services.

To respond to these challenges, police departments are increasingly seeking help from the behavioral health system. This trend is promising, as historically, law enforcement and the behavioral health system have not always closely collaborated. Absent these collaborations, officers often lack awareness of, or do not know how to access, a community’s array of available services and alternatives to arrest, such as crisis stabilization services, mental health hotlines, and other community-based resources. And even when officers are fully informed, service capacity is typically insufficient to meet the community’s need. As a result, officers experience frustration and trauma as they encounter the same familiar faces over and over again, only to witness the health of these individuals deteriorate over time.
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