A strategic approach to police interactions with people with a mental illness

Abstract

Since the birth of modern policing in the early 1800s, police agencies have interacted with persons with mental health problems (P/MHP) whether in crisis, as victims, or in a support role. Given the nature of policing, this is unlikely to change. What has changed is how police handle these situations. This paper identifies and explains the two phases of the evolution, to date, of police responses and the now necessary third phase. It is time for police agencies to apply a focussed corporate approach to this important social issue and to establish a mental health strategy (third generation) in order to clearly take a strategic approach in concert with relevant community agencies to improve outcomes for P/MHP who come into contact with police personnel. While many standalone programs have been primarily reactive, this paper makes the case that a strategic approach enables the design and implementation of multiple programs congruent with the mental health strategy that are proactive as well as reactive, all with the aim of improving the outcomes for persons with mental illness and mental health problems.

Examining the Spatial Concentration of Mental Health Calls for Police Service in a Small City

“…Calls for police service involving PwPMI are estimated to comprise up to 20% of services' call loads (Livingston, 2016), with some jurisdictions recording approximately a 10% annual increase in these calls . While the deinstitutionalization of individuals living with mental illness and the subsequent lack of mental health supports is frequently cited as the reason for the rise in police-PwPMI interactions (Coleman & Cotton, 2016;Frederick et al, 2018), other factors, such as strict civil commitment criteria, homelessness, poverty, intolerance of social disorder, and lack of hospital beds -among other reasons -all contribute as well (Borum et al, 1997;Canada et al, 2010;Lamb & Weinberger, 1998;Markowitz, 2011;Schulenberg, 2016;Teplin, 1984). By consequence, the police have been tasked with the role of 'street corner psychiatrist' whereby they act as gatekeepers to both the criminal justice and mental health systems (Iacobucci, 2014;Teplin & Pruett, 1992).…”

“…However, some scholars have recently begun conceptualizing what the 'next wave' of police responses to PwPMI should look like, including those of co-response teams (Coleman & Cotton, 2016;Wood & Beierschmitt, 2014;.…”

“…Currently, co-response teams operate within the 'traditional' model of policing: that is, reacting and responding to calls for service (White & Weisburd, 2017). Coleman and Cotton (2016), however, argue that co-response teams should -in addition to responding to crises -be proactively deployed, focusing on the root causes that may lead to PwPMI interactions with police. Wood and Watson (2017) see place as a critical area of opportunity for such proactive deployment, in that the geography of where these interactions concentrate could be used to inform targeted, proactive co-response team efforts.…”

“…In an effort to prevent these issues, select police services have deployed specialized responses to PwPMI, but often do so on a limited scale due to funding limitations and other challenges, thus restricting their full potential (Iacobucci, 2014;Koziarski et al, 2020). However, to make efficient use of these responses, some have argued that these efforts should instead be proactively deployed, focusing on hot spots of PwPMI calls for police service (Coleman & Cotton, 2016;White & Weisburd, 2017;. In doing so, some PwPMI may be proactively directed toward mental health supports before reaching crisis, thus not only enhancing mental health care for that individual, but also preventing future police calls for service.…”

Police and mental health responses to mental health crisis in the Waikato region of New Zealand

“…Police involvement with people perceived to be mentally ill has been subject to high levels of scrutiny internationally (Chappell & O'Brien, ; Coleman & Cotton ). In New Zealand, police have reported a significant increase in contact with people with mental illness across a range of circumstances (Independent Police Conduct Authority, ).…”