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Civilian mental health specialists are joining Detroit police officers on more runs involving emotional distress or illness.
Chief James White on Monday at the 7th Precinct on Chene Street. (Photo: Detroit Police Department)
As part of the same approach, a larger number of cops are being trained in tactics to handle substance abusers or people in a mental crisis. The Detroit News covers a Monday briefing by the chief:
The 7th Precinct, which covers part of the city's southeast side, is the latest police precinct to join the Mental Health Co-Response Partnership, an attempt to provide treatment to citizens who are mentally ill instead of sending them to jail.
Since the partnership with the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network launched in December 2020, 176 Detroit officers have been trained to de-escalate situations involving people with mental illness, Police Chief James White said.
Crisis Intervention Teams of two police officers and a mental health professional in the 4th, 8th, 9th and 12th Precincts, along with Downtown Services, have had nearly 5,000 contacts with citizens who are mentally ill since the program started, White said.
Crisis team officers get 40 hours of training. The skills they learn are "very important ... not only for the safety of the community but for our officers as well," said the chief, who receivced more extensive training to become a licensed mental health counselor.
The department plans to have crisis intervention teams in each of its 11 precincts by December.
Calls for service involving mental illness in Detroit increased 10% from 7,209 in 2020 to 7,935 in 2021, according to police statistics. Officers in the 7th Precinct responded to 802 calls for service involving mental illness in 2021, up 21% from 661 in 2020.
