Professional Documents
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Policing Mental Health
Policing Mental Health
Policing Mental Health
AP Lang, 4th
10.18.20
broken bones, or brushing your teeth. Yet, mental health is often overlooked. It’s personal…
Mental health crises are not uncommon… In fact, you might have even responded to one
yourself. The National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) defines a crisis as a situation where a
person’s behavior puts them at risk of hurting themselves, or someone else. The right kind of
care during a crisis is critical, but it’s often that those experiencing a crisis do not get the care
that they need. Mental health has become an increasingly pressing issue, affecting many people’s
lives every day. According to NAMI, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United
States for people ages 10-24, and 18-22 veterans die by suicide every day. A study done by the
Treatment Advocacy Center reported that mentally ill people are sixteen times more likely to be
killed in a police encounter than the average civilian… sixteen times. As police, you are faced
with an urgent emergency that you are not YET trained to handle.
In order to protect the safety of the community, something new must be done. The most
coordinated group of specially trained law enforcement, mental health providers, and community
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members who are focussed on caring for and rehabilitating those who struggle with mental
illness, not punishing them with the judicial system. Officers would be trained to recognize
mental illness symptoms, taught specialized de-escalation techniques, and familiarized with the
laws involving healthcare. A crisis intervention team would cut down arrests, as well as injury,
and improve trust between the police and the community. A crisis intervention team is a
These specialized teams are already being implemented around the country, and the
results are glowing. For example, from 2011-2016 the Miami-Dade Crisis Intervention Team
had responded to over 40,000 calls without hospitalization, or arrest, as observed by Mental
Health America.
It’s important as police officers to know how to best serve your community, and when a
crisis intervention team is implemented, just that happens. It’s crucial that your department
follows the data and creates a way to better care for those who experience a crisis. The results
are more than promising, they are real. Do your part, and care for the community.
Thank you
Works Cited:
Navigating a Mental Health Crisis, National Alliance on Mental Health
Police Responses to Persons With Mental Illness: Going Beyond CIT Training, Henry J. Steadman, Ph.D., and David
Morrissette, Ph.D., L.C.S.W.