Ask the Chief

Police work is changing rapidly and one of those changes is in how we respond to calls involving people having a mental or emotional health crisis. Traditionally, the entire responsibility of such a call falls on the responding police officer. This leads to a lack of services, frequent return calls to the individual as well as a greater risk of injury to the individual and officer.
Police Officers are now working with other service providers to ensure the best care possible is given, that no one falls through the cracks and that a variety of options are considered. The other service providers include EMS, Medical Facilities, Mental health care providers, and family.
The best practice is family intervention to help individuals avoid going into crisis. In these situations the old adage is very true, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.