Los Angeles Police Department

Quick Facts:

Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
Los Angeles Police Dept.
Approximate number of officers in agency:
10000
Primary specialized response:
Mental health professionals partner with law enforcement officers to provide on-scene crisis intervention and referral.
Program start year:
2005 or earlier
Total number of officers in program:
70

Los Angeles Police Department

Contact:

Name:
Lionel Garcia
Title:
Lieutenant II
Organization:
Los Angeles Police Department
Address:
100 W. 1st Street, Room 630
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Email:
24050@lapd.lacity.org
Phone:
213-996-1300

Agency Information

Name of coordinating law enforcement agency:
Los Angeles Police Dept.
Type of government that operates law enforcement agency:
Township
Approximate number of officers in agency:
10000

Specialized Response Description

Program start year:
2005 or earlier
Primary specialized response:
Mental health professionals partner with law enforcement officers to provide on-scene crisis intervention and referral.
Secondary specialized response:
Mental health providers, often as members of a mobile crisis team, are called in by law enforcement to provide crisis intervention at the scene.
Background information:
The LAPD Mental Evaluatin Unit has been operational for many decades. The Systemwide Mental Assessment Response Team (SMART) strategy was created in 1993 as a collaborative response model with the Department of Mental Health (DMH).
Total number of officers in program:
70
Number of people with mental illness served:
More than 500
Catchment area:
The entire jurisdiction
Funding source(s):
  • Police Department
  • Local Mental Health Department
    • Staff supported by funding:
  • Law Enforcement Officer
  • MH Service Provider (e.g. case manager, social worker)
  • Program Coordinator

    • Program Partners and Personnel

    Existence of planning and oversight committee:
    No (please proceed to question 17)
    Committee participants:
  • Law enforcement line-level staff
  • Law enforcement supervisory-level staff
  • Law enforcement leadership
  • Mental health (and/or substance abuse) line-level staff
  • Mental health (and/or substance abuse) supervisory-level staff
  • Mental health (and/or substance abuse) leadership
  • Consumers of mental health services
  • Family members of consumers
  • Advocates
    • Mental health or advocacy agencies that participate in program:
    Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health
    Written agreement of roles and procedures:
    Yes
    Recruitment and selection:
    Officers volunteer and all are selected.
    Program coordinator/boundary spanner
    Yes. There are multiple program coordinators
    Commander Jeffrey Greer, Mental Health Crisis Response Coordinator Assistant Commanding Officer, Detective Bureau 100 W. 1st Street 6th Floor Los Angeles, CA. 90012 (213) 486-7667 Detective III Charles Dempsey Officer-in-Charge, Mental Evaluation Unit 100 W. 1st Street Room 630 Los Angeles, CA. 90012 (213) 996-1300 Chuck Lennon, LCSW MH Clinical Program Head Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health Law Enforcement Programs - LAPD SMART & CAMP 100 W. 1st Street, 6th Flr., Rm. 630 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Work: LAPD - (213) 996-1300 DMH - (213) 738-3431 Fax: LAPD - (213) 996-1350

    Training on Mental Health Issues

    Types of training on mental health issues:
    • Pre-service training for new recruits at the academy
    • 8
    • Basic in-service training for all patrol officers
    • 4
    • Basic in-service training for select patrol officers
    • 4
    • Basic in-service training for dispatchers and / or call takers
    • 24
    • Advanced in-service training for all patrol officers
    • 24
    • Advanced in-service training for select patrol officers
    • 40
    • Advanced in-service training for dispatchers and / or call takers
    • 40
    • e-learning for all patrol personnel and dispatchers
    • 24 hour Detention Officer School
    Number of officers who receive advanced training:
    between 1000 and 6800 depending on the course
    Groups who conducts advanced training:
  • Police officers
  • Mental health professionals (crisis workers)
  • Medical professionals (doctors or nurses)
  • Consumers
  • Community members
  • Family member of a person with mental illness
    • Advanced training topics:
    • Recognizing symptoms of mental illness, and clinical issues
    • Co-occurring disorders
    • Psychiatric medications
    • Community resources (mental health services, etc.)
    • Legal issues concerning individuals with mental illness
    • Legal issues concerning police officer liability
    • De-escalation techniques
    • Less lethal use of force options
    • Suicide prevention
    • The role of families and other supports in mental health treatment and recovery
    Advanced training methods:
    • Presentations (including panels, lectures, and/or PowerPoints)
    • Role plays
    • Site visits to community mental health facilities
    • Ride-alongs
    • Videotapes
    • Conferences/Seminars
    Other information on training:
    The Mental Evaluation Unit engages in the following training strategies: Crisis Intervention Crisis Communication Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder HIPPA/FERPA Targeted School Violence 8102 WIC (Prohibitive Possessor) Autism

    Response Procedures

    Standardized dispatch questions:
    Yes
    Dispatch documentation:
  • Document in central computer database used for all calls, such as a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system
  • Document in a specialized computer database for only mental health calls
  • Document in paper files
    • Incident documentation by responding officer:
    • Relay information to dispatch who records it in general computer database used for all calls, such as a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system
    • Record information in a field encounter form, or other form used to document every citizen encounter
    • Record information in an arrest report
    • Record information in log maintained by mental health personnel at the crisis drop-off location or by some other mental health organization
    Use of information on individuals' mental illness stored in police records:
    The MEU database assists patrol personnel with assigned to calls involving the mentally ill by providing information regarding prior contacts and dispositions.
    Mental health professional available to support police responder:
  • Yes, on site (e.g. mobile crisis team)
  • Yes, remotely by telephone or dispatch (e.g. a crisis worker or psychiatric emergency room personnel)
  • Yes, both on-site and remotely
    • Officers permitted to transport people with mental illness to services when:
    • The person has volunteered to receive mental health treatment
    • The person is being brought to a crisis center or other health care facility for stabilization or medications management
    Officers allowed to transport a person without handcuffs:
    in situations where SMART personnel utilize soft restraints.
    Access to drop-off locations:
    Yes. It is open 24 hours a day.
    Procedure for streamlined intake and a "no refusal" policy for police referrals?
    No
    Location of drop-off center(s):
  • Psychiatric emergency / crisis center
  • Psychiatric emergency room in general hospital
    • Drop-off center accepts people with co-occurring substance abuse disorders:
    Yes
    Length of time for drop-off and return to patrol:
    More than 45 minutes

    Program Sustainability

    Data collection:
    Yes
    Published evaluation:
    Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), "Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses, Tailoring Law Enforcement Initiatives to Individual Jurisdictions." BJA, "Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses, The Essential Elements of a Specialized Law Enforcement-Based Program." BJA, Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses, Strategies for Effective Law Enforcement Training." MacArthur Foundation, "Law Enforcement Responses to People with Mental Illnesses: A Guide to Research-Informend Policy and Practice." LAPD Consent Decree Reports 2001-2009. LAPD, "Lodestar Management/Research, Inc., Consent Decree Mental Illness Project, May 28, 2002."
    Local media coverage:
    See LAPD MEU or LAPD SMART Wikipedia.
    Legislative funding or support:
    No
    Key to the program's success:
    The Mental Evaluation Unit (MEU) officers and the DMH personnel are well trained in how to conduct assessments. The MEU provides guidance 20 hours a day, seven days a week to patrol units anytime they must handle field incidents involving mental assessments. The MEU deploy on-call teams on weekends, off-hours.
    About this information:

    A program representative provided this information details through a detailed survey.

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