Recommendations for Implementation

Law enforcement agencies should consult with service providers (including those who focus on minors and victims) to gather information on the outcome of the police referrals.  It is important, as always, that private information about the individuals seeking treatment be kept confidential. Consulting with providers serves as an evaluation tool to assess whether services were made available and accessed following encounters with law enforcement. Agencies should examine in-house protocols to ensure that referrals were made and to identify other resource issues.

This consultation can be conducted during routine partnership meetings where police and mental health practitioners review data they have collected.  It is very important that these data be presented in the aggregate rather than for each individual.[1]  For example, the law enforcement representative can provide the number of people who were referred for services, which can be compared to the mental health representatives' notes on how many people contacted the service.  In this way, confidentiality is maintained, yet problems with the protocol can be examined.

A proactive approach is fundamental to the philosophy of community policing. This involves identifying problem situations and working with community partners to craft long-term solutions.  "Problem" situations involving people with mental illness are those that result in repeat calls to the police.  These situations may not be resolved by existing protocols, may escalate in seriousness, and require a more in-depth look into the underlying causes of the problem.

To identify these cases, agencies must review internal databases designed to capture information on situations involving people with mental illness. As mentioned previously, some departments review CAD system data to reveal locations that previously have involved violence or that result in frequent calls for service. Other agencies review supplemental data forms collected by crisis intervention teams. 

Once the case has been identified, law enforcement personnel should work closely with their mental health partners to identify the precise nature of the problem and the possible causes.[2]  Together police and mental health providers can then determine a course of action to help the person avoid further contacts with the police. It is always preferable for mental health personnel to conduct follow-up visits, should they be required, although some departments have paired a mental health professional with an officer who is not in uniform.

Example:  Anne Arundel County (MD) Mobile Crisis Team

Mental health professionals from the Mobile Crisis Team in Anne Arundel County provide follow up for people with mental illness who have come in contact with local law enforcement.

[1] This does not preclude police involvement in problem-solving teams, when requested to do so by mental health partners.

[2] Many law enforcement agencies around the country use the Scanning Analysis Response and Assessment (SARA) model of problem solving.  For more information about the SARA model, see Goldstein, Herman, Problem-Oriented Policing, McGraw Hill, Inc., New York, 1990; also M. Reuland, C.S. Brito, and L. Carroll  (Eds.), Solving Crime and Disorder Problems: Current Issues, Police Strategies and Organizational Tactics,  Police Executive Research Forum, Washington, DC, 2001.