Mendocino County sheriff vows to reduce deputy response to mental health crises
The Press DemocratFeb 06, 2017
Having deputies respond to such crises is a poor use of law enforcement resources, he said, one resulting in the incarceration of people who need psychiatric help, not the frequent outcome of jail. Calling police to a mental health situation can trigger a crime that otherwise would not have occurred, such as resisting arrest, he said.
It's a nationwide issue, with more than half of people incarcerated in local jails estimated to have mental health problems. Two million people with mental illness, most of them nonviolent, are booked into jails each year, according to the
"Taking a mentally ill person to jail for a minor crime is not taking steps forward and it's costing the government thousands of dollars each time," Allman said.
He said he's hoping his declaration, made at a recent joint meeting of supervisors and the mental health advisory board, will encourage the county to improve its mental health crisis response.
"I'm saying the government should respond," he said. "But it shouldn't be a guy with a gun and a badge."
He did not give a date for when the new practice would begin. He has been meeting with the county's contractor for mental health crisis intervention,
"There may not be a realistic way of reducing" law enforcement involvement significantly, said
The agency currently has 10 mental health crisis workers, including two available at night, one on the coast and one inland. The agency's crisis response budget, not including hospitalization, is about
Law enforcement responses to mental health crises typically begin with patient, family or friend's call to 911 and a dispatcher must decide between a referral to mental health or law enforcement.
In the future, Allman said he expects to direct dispatchers to transfer all calls in which there are no weapons involved and no one is in danger to the mental health crisis hotline.
That's how it should be, Hamburg said.
"If it's really clear it's not a danger or a crime is being committed, Redwood ... has the ability to deal with those," he said.
You can reach Staff Writer
___
(c)2017 The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.)
Visit The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.) at www.pressdemocrat.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.