Denver has been experimenting with this, with spectacular success, for a couple years already:
https://www.denverpost.com/2022/02/20/denver-star-program-expansion/
this post was submitted on 10 Aug 2023
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Also Eugene, OR.
Yep, CAHOOTS has been in operation for decades.
Thanks for the link!
Their approach is different, too. They’re taught in training to abandon the “pseudo-professional” affect that staffers inadvertently take on in talks with clients. And aside from an extensive background in medical care or mental health, all CAHOOTS employees are judged by their “lived experiences,” Brubaker said – people who’ve dealt with many of the situations CAHOOTS clients find themselves in are better able to empathize and serve those people, he said.
Boston has an emergency mental health response team, but currently they're only accessed via a different telephone number and don't link in with 911. They're considering joint responses from 911 and the B.E.S.T. team
https://northsuffolk.org/services/emergency-services/boston-emergency-services-team/
Thanks for the link!
Wow, this looks interesting that the cops are calling them themselves.
Most of STAR’s calls for service come through Denver 911, where dispatchers are trained to send the STAR van for appropriate needs. But about a third of calls are from Denver police officers who responded to a call and determined it would be better handled by STAR.
“Officers consistently ask when there are going to be more STAR vans,” Sailon said.
This has also been happening in Austin, TX for over 2 years. People can call 911 to have mental health professionals dispatched, alternatively other first responders can call them to the scene
The team will respond to calls from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays
I hate to break it to them, but I'd wager 80% or more of qualifying MH calls come through outside those hours
True, but it's a start. Lemmy wasn't built in a day.
Great idea! I hope they make the mental health team outrank a normal officer, so they can order them to stand down when necessary.
That would be a great policy!
Should have patrol officers dress in plain clothes and rotate through with the team. Just so they can learn that they don't need to be assholes. If that could learn that.