Police Response to People 
with Mental Illness: 
Specialized Approaches 

Melissa Reuland 
Police Executive Research Forum 
Senior Research Consultant 

July 28, 2006 


What is the nature of the
problem?


. 
NYPD reports they respond to a call involving a person with 
mental illness once every 6.5 minutes (2002). 

. 
LAPD reports spending approximately 28,000 hours a month 
on these calls (DeCuir and Lamb, 1996). 

. 
In one year, law enforcement officers in Florida transported a 
person with mental illness for involuntary examination 
(Baker Acts) over 40,000 times, which exceeds the number of 
arrests in the state for aggravated assault or burglary (2000). 

. 
The prevalence rate of severe mental disorder is 6.4% for 
male detainees entering jail (Teplin, 1990) and 12.2 % for 
female detainees (GAINS, 2001). 


Why implement a specialized 
approach to people with mental 
illness? 

. 
Police encounters with people with mental 
illness can be common, time consuming and 
unpredictable. 

. 
These situations can result in injuries and even 
death. 

. 
Patrol officers cannot easily access mental 
health services. 

. 
People with mental illness who have not 
committed serious crimes do not belong in jail. 


What are models of specialized 
police approaches? 

Programs that are police-based include: 

. 
Crisis Intervention Teams—A cadre of officers is 
trained to identify signs and symptoms of mental illness, 
de-escalate the situation and bring the person in crisis to an 
efficient, round-the clock treatment center. 

. 
Co-responder Teams—An officer pairs with a mental 
health professional to respond to the scene of a crisis 
involving mental illness. 


What are the essential elements of these models?


. 
Collaborative Planning 
and Implementation 

- 
Specialized Training 

 
Call Taker and 
Dispatcher Protocols 

- 
On-Scene Stabilization 
and De-Escalation 

- 
On-Scene Assessment 
of Mental Illness Signs 
and Symptoms, and the 
Subsequent Disposition 

- 
Confidentiality and 
Information Exchange 

- 
Transportation and 
Custodial Transfer 

- 
Treatment, Supports, 
Specialized Crisis 
Response Sites, and 
Services 

- 
Organizational Support 

- 
Program Evaluation and 
Sustainability 


Publications on Improving the
Police Response


. 
1986, Managing Persons with Mental Disabilities, 
Gerard Murphy, PERF 

. 
1997, Police Response to People with Mental Illnesses, 
DOJ 

. 
2002, Criminal Justice/Mental Health Consensus 
Project, CSG 

. 
2003 and 2005, Guides to assist in Implementing and 
Enhancing Police-Based Diversion Programs for 
People with Mental Illness, TAPA Center 


Law Enforcement / Mental Health 
Partnership Program 

. 
Funded by the Bureau of Justice 
Assistance (BJA) in 2005 

. 
Deliverables will include: 
- 
Training resource “Toolkit” 
- 
“Essential Elements” document 
- 
Interactive database of program information 
- 
Policy brief on statewide implementation efforts 


Contact Information


Melissa Reuland 
Research Consultant 

410-377-2264 

mreuland@policeforum.org 

www.consensusproject.org 
www.policeforum.org 
www.tapacenter.org 
www.gainsctr.com