While not all contacts with the public result in documentation, law enforcement agencies do collect information about most of their encounters with the public at several points: when the call comes in to the agency; when the officer clears the call and returns to service; when an official report is filed; and when supplemental reports are submitted. Many agencies maintain sophisticated computerized systems, while others rely on more traditional paper-based systems.  Regardless of the level of sophistication, however, it is critical that data be reliable, accurate, and consistently entered.

When the call comes in to the agency dispatch, some agencies use a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system that maintains important data elements on all calls for service.  These systems keep track of calls based on their geographic location, and can show numbers and types of calls over time.  When the officer has completed the call, he or she contacts the dispatcher to clear the call and can update the nature of the call at that time.  Although not all departments have a CAD system, all do maintain some system for tracking calls for service.

Many agencies also maintain additional computerized data systems, often called Records Management Systems, or RMS, which capture information submitted on incident or arrest reports.  These data may be used by police to manage a great deal of information about contacts with the police, up to and including arrest. These data are analyzed to detect crime patterns and evaluate the police response. Supplemental reports for particular types of incidents may also be maintained in computerized formats, or in file cabinets, depending on the quantity of the information and its intended use.

Law enforcement agencies must consistently and accurately document their contacts with people who have mental illness, just as they should for all encounters - for consumers' protection and to provide better law enforcement service. Just as information has certain benefits, however, it also has risks to the consumer and his or her family.  For this reason, privacy laws protect personal medical information, including information about a person's mental health, and limit the occasions when a medical professional can share that information without consent.  A full discussion of protected information and its disclosure is provided in Policy Statement 25: Sharing Information

The recommendations in this section address how law enforcement should capture data and under what circumstances.  Ultimately, departments that develop effective internal information-management systems will depend less on mental health system information protected by privacy laws and be better prepared to address the needs of people with mental illness in the long term.

Recommendations:

a.

Capture information related to mental illness consistently in calls-for-service data.

b.

Collect information related to mental illness accurately in police reports and supplemental forms, focusing on observable behavior.

c.

Document information relating to a person's mental illness only when that information is relevant to the incident.