An article by The Daily Item delves into the role of police officers in mental health emergency situations. The article cites figures from a 2023 CPE report, “Redesigning Public Safety: Mental Health Emergency Response,” and details the duality for some officers who, at times, must step into the role of counselor or social worker. A new approach at Milton Police Department has seen the hire of a mental health expert to coordinate the department’s mental health crisis response and assist officers during a call, all in an effort to more safely serve the community. An excerpt from the article:
An estimated 7 to 10 percent of all police encounters involve a person suffering from mental illness, according to a “Redesigning Public Safety: Mental Health Emergency Response,” a report released last year by the Center for Policing Equity. Most of the encounters do not involve violence and some don’t involve a crime, according to the report.
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