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Maybe Cops Shouldn't Handle Domestic Violence Calls

Melissa Jeltsen

September 22, 2021 |

The Cut |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Moab, Utah

The case of Gabby Petito illustrates how decades-old laws meant to make police take domestic violence more seriously can backfire on the people who most need protection. Mandatory-arrest laws require police responding to a domestic-violence complaint to determine who is the primary aggressor, as a prelude to an arrest. In Petito's case, as in many, Moab, Utah, police deemed her the aggressor based on a cursory investigation, and possibly based on ingrained biases against women. This does nothing to get at the root of the problem and get people the help they need.

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Seattle police intervening in fewer mental health calls, data show

David Kroman

September 13, 2021 |

Crosscut |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Washington state legislators imposed new restrictions on the use of force by police, including strict limits on physically restraining someone who is not suspected of committing a crime. At a time when non-police responders to mental health crises are not yet fully staffed, the use-of-force reforms have had the unintended consequence in Seattle of denying some people in mental health crises the emergency care they need. Police believe they are not allowed to restrain someone in order to involuntarily commit them to a mental hospital. Involuntary commitments have dropped by almost half.

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Lake Mary police partnership keeps mentally ill out of ERs, away from police confrontations

Erik von Ancken

September 08, 2021 |

WKMG-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Lake Mary, Florida

The Mental Health Intervention Group is a partnership of hospitals and community social services agencies formed by the Lake Mary Police Department to address mental health problems before they turn into crises. Avoiding crises minimizes the chances of violent encounters with police or repeat visits to hospital emergency rooms. Volunteers and their organizations learn from police or hospitals who needs help, and then they provide whatever is needed, from counseling to food assistance. Nearly all those they've helped have avoided hospital visits afterward.

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Dealing with mental health crisis one Zoom call at a time

Don Babwin

August 29, 2021 |

Associated Press |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

In Chicago, where the city's size and traffic would pose logistical and cost barriers to make mental health professionals first responders to mental-crisis calls, the Cook County sheriff's office has put 70 Zoom-enabled tablets in deputies' hands to set up on-the-spot counseling sessions with people in crisis. Instead of being confronted by a cop, people threatening suicide or harming others can talk to one of eight counselors on call. It's the first step toward getting the care they need, instead of an arrest and violent clash with police officers.

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This city de-funded the police. Here's what happened next

Richard Hall

July 29, 2021 |

The Independent |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Rochester, New York

Less than a year after Rochester experienced its own version of the George Floyd case, when a clash with police led to the death of Daniel Prude, a man in a mental health crisis, Rochester diverted money from the police to fund a Person In Crisis team to respond differently to such crises. Two mental health and social workers accompany police on relevant calls 24/7, about 100 calls per week. Their presence can de-escalate potentially violent encounters and get people the help they need without an arrest.

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Leaving Behind Uniforms And Sirens, Summit County Sheriff Expands Crisis Response

Leigh Paterson

July 26, 2021 |

KUNC |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Frisco, Colorado

The Summit County, Colorado, sheriff's office runs SMART (Systemwide Mental Assessment Response), which pairs armed deputies with clinicians to respond to mental health crises. In 2020, the two teams took hundreds of calls but made only one arrest. Instead, most people are helped on the spot or referred to services that can help. The county plans to expand the service to 24/7 with two more teams, plus one mobile crisis until to handle suicide threats, staffed only by civilian mental health professionals. This report discusses the range of models used nationwide with and without police involvement.

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NYC is sending social workers instead of police to some 911 calls. Here's how it's going.

Ryan W. Miller

July 23, 2021 |

USA Today |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

A pilot project in three New York Police Department precincts of Harlem showed in its first month that it can divert some mental-health crises away from hospitalization and toward other forms of help. Teams of medics and social workers took about one-quarter of such calls, sometimes at NYPD invitation. They sent about half of the people in crisis to a hospital, significantly less often than the police do in such cases. The goal in replacing police is to avoid needless violence and arrests in non-violent, non-criminal emergencies.

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Eugene, Oregon, Police Chief: Sending Unarmed Crisis Specialists On Mental Health Calls Saves Lives

Robin Young Allison Hagan

July 22, 2021 |

WBUR |

Radio Talk Show |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Eugene, Oregon

The police chief in Eugene, Ore., home of the CAHOOTS program, which other communities see as the model for finding alternatives to policing, supports the program because it saves lives and saves the city money. Sending unarmed medics and social workers on calls involving behavioral health problems, mental health crises, and substance-use psychotic episodes automatically de-escalates many situations because of the lack of a police presence.

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NYC's Non-Police Mental Health Pilot Increasing Rate of Those Getting Aid, Data Show

Darlene Rodriguez

July 22, 2021 |

WNBC-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

In its first month as a pilot project in a part of Harlem, New York's Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division (B-HEARD) handled one-quarter of 911 calls for mental health crises. Despite fears of danger to the teams of social workers and paramedics, police backup was needed only seven times out of 110 cases. More people accepted help from the non-police teams than in the past from teams of police and paramedics. And that help depended half as often on hospital visits. People got helped on the scene or went to community centers for services. The city plans to expand the program.

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How Mental Health First Responders in an Oregon City 'De-escalate' Conflict and Save Lives

Jeff Truesdell

July 15, 2021 |

People |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Eugene, Oregon

CAHOOTS has become a national model because of its uncommon partnership with the Eugene Police Department. The police chief says CAHOOTS' unarmed first responders to mental health crises can de-escalate crises before crimes occur or someone gets hurt. That's the idea behind the decades-old agency that takes calls where police can sometimes cause worse outcomes. The crisis intervention workers and medics treat people on the scene or transport them to places where they can get the help they need. Police are available but rarely needed for safety on those calls.

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