Chief’s Counsel: Law Enforcement and Persons with Mental Illness: New Standards for Safety

It is invaluable for law enforcement agencies to recognize and implement policies and procedures designed to help officers approach and interact with persons with mental illness in a way that maximizes the safety of the SUBJECT, officers, and community, as well as preventing liability and litigation. Law enforcement officers face people from all walks of life on a daily basis. Currently, 43.8 million adults in the United States have a mental illness. Of that, 10 million people are affected by serious mental illness resulting in “serious functional impairment.” Thus, it is highly likely that many of the people that officers come into contact with have a mental illness. Data show that 1 of 4 people killed in officer-involved shootings are affected by some mental or emotional distress. When one adds in persons with drug and alcohol addictions, officers are frequently encountering people with severe issues. Due to a lack of resources and support for people with mental illness, law enforcement has now become the de facto response. Agencies need to find new and better methods for interacting with this population, particularly related to the appropriate amount of force that is reasonable in the situations involving persons with mental illnesses.

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