Ask the Chief

With a projected Minnesota budget surplus of $17.5 billion, I believe it is time to prioritize mental health care in Minnesota. While many changes have been made to the mental health care system over the past few years, the need continues to grow and the past changes have fallen embarrassingly short of bringing real help to those who are suffering.
Law Enforcement remains the primary contact, support, and service provider for people with mental health issues. Police Officers are having to not only respond to the crisis but also advocate for the person following the incident to ensure that other stakeholders are involved and working together as a team.
The “Team” concept continues to be a major hurdle in that organizations often will not share information with each other due to data privacy issues while also failing to obtain a signed release of information forms so that communication may occur.
I encourage everyone to ask for releases of information forms so that you may get all the help that is available to you. There is no single organization that can provide all that a person needs who has mental health issues and that is why we must have the ability to coordinate and share information. However, even with a “team” based approach the greatest need, and in my opinion, the greatest failure is the lack of in-patient beds in Minnesota.
This is somewhat oversimplified but the reality is that if you are not suicidal, or homicidal it is extremely difficult to find an open bed anywhere in the state. This is an even greater problem and need when it comes to juveniles.
Imagine how hard it is to get someone having mental health struggles to voluntarily seek help and then be unable to provide them with what often is life-changing help. This challenge only gets worse when you add chemical dependency and a criminal record to a person’s history.
I have struggled with getting people the help they need and want my entire career. I am not casting blame on any single person or organization and I know that law enforcement could always do better, but we are working with a system that is so broken, that minor changes here and there will have little to no real impact on the street. We need dozens of new facilities throughout the state to provide in-patient care along with a very robust and meaningful aftercare program to help people implement their treatment plans and not relapse.
If you feel as I do, I encourage you to call your state representatives and make your voice heard.