Comparing outcomes of major models of police responses to mental health emergencies

Objective: The study compared three models of police responses to incidents involving people thought to have mental illnesses to determine how often s pecialized professionals responded and how often they were able to resolve cases without arrest. Methods: Three study sites representing distinct appr oaches to police handling of incidents involving persons with mental illnes s were examined-Birmingham, Alabama; and Knoxville and Memphis, Tennessee. At each site, records were examined for approximately 100 police dispatch c alls for "emotionally disturbed persons" to examine the extent to which the specially trained professionals responded. To determine differences in cas e dispositions, records mere also examined for 100 incidents at each site t hat involved a specialized response. Results: Large differences were found across sites in the proportion of calls that resulted in a specialized resp onse-28 percent for Birmingham, 40 percent for Knoxville, and 95 percent fo r Memphis. One reason for the differences was the availability in Memphis o f a crisis drop-off center for persons with mental illness that had a no-re fusal policy for police cases. All three programs had relati ely low arrest rates when a specialized response was made, 13 percent for Birmingham, 5 p ercent for Knoxville, and 2 percent for Memphis. Birmingham's program was m ost likely to resolve an incident on the scene, whereas Knoxville's program predominantly referred individuals to mental health specialists. Conclusio ns: Our data strongly suggest that collaborations between the criminal just ice system, the mental health system, and the advocacy community plus essen tial services reduce the inappropriate use of U.S. jails to house persons w ith acute symptoms of mental illness.