When New York’s Mayor gave police new powers to involuntarily commit people to hospital for psychiatric treatment, advocates were worried. Can a person trained in public safety reasonably assess whether someone will be a harm to themselves or others?
Stats about the use of the powers have been released. In six months, 32 people have been involuntarily committed to a hospital. The city typically receives 100,000 calls about emotionally disturbed persons per year. Are the advocates worrying unnecessarily?
Maybe.
The low number could be good news. On the other hand, other information given in the article linked below tells us that it might not be time to say ‘done and dusted’ just yet.
Police on the street can call a special number and speak to a mental health professional for help in assessing whether someone’s behaviour is potentially dangerous to themselves or others. The number is available 24/7.
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- In the first six months of operation, no one has called the special number.
- Police training materials do not provide the special number or explain that the service is available.
Police already have a substantial role shaping policies to respond homelessness in cities. That role undermines the work of outreach teams. Outreach that takes place when there is a deadline for clearing an encampment is not conducive to building a trust relationship between the outreach worker and any potential clients1.
Does giving a police officer the power to commit someone for psychiatric assessment similarly undermine the work of mental health professionals? This is one reason to keep an eye on the new powers of police in New York City. You can read more about the first six months in The Guardian: New York Set Up A Hotline For Police Handling Mental Health Cases. Not One Officer Has Called
