Police should be trained to properly respond to those individuals who Essay

Police should be trained to properly respond to those individuals who are considered mentally disturbed or mentally challenged - Essay Example A number of factors have led to the increasing interaction between police and persons with mental illness. One is that sufficient funding which is needed to grow proportionally to the increased need of these individuals is not being withheld by community support systems. Furthermore, existing crisis response services are limited in scope and are often not well-integrated. Reductions in hospital beds and services result in hospital admission only for those in acute situation, and even then, only for very short periods of time. Moreover in some situations, several police respond to a person in mental health crisis as they are trained to respond to a usual criminal emergency situation, and with a show of force and authority they may in fact escalate the trouble to a point of risking injury or death unfortunately, most often to a person having mental health problem. ("Study in Blue and Grey: Police Interventions with People with Mental Illness," 2003) Thus, this shift from institutionali zed care to community-based care and the general lack of understanding and awareness to these issues have resulted in more persons with mental dysfunction in the community to come in contact with the police. Due to the lack of comprehensive, ongoing training of police officers in the recognition of mental illness and in mental health crisis intervention as well as the absence of contact and aid from mental health and emergency services, this study is made. This essay will provide step by step solutions to make the police officers properly responsive when dealing with people with mental incapacity. New Models for Police Response Several communities have realized that the usual orders must change, and that new models should be developed that would go well with the identified needs and assets in a certain community. Some of these would be based in the mental health system, some in the police system, some are a true collaboration, and some are based in the community itself. Following are examples of models which have met success in specific communities: Police/Mental Health Team This model encompasses a specialized mental health crisis intervention team, in which plain-clothed police and mental health professionals take action in unmarked police cars. These men defuses the situation, and ensures that the person with mental illness is dealt with properly with either the provision of an appropriate medical/psychiatric care, civil certification and hospitalization or appropriate arrest and detention with psychiatric evaluation. The team is sustained by psychiatric nurses on a mental health crisis line. These nurses are called by vets when team response or on-call support to regular officers is in need. Assistance from psychiatrists are as well necessary when providing on-call advice and attending on-the-spot certifications when necessary. Example: Vancouver's Car 87.(Canadian Mental Health Association [CMHA], 2005) Reception Centre With this model, the person which is recognized to have signs of mental illness is transported to a reception centre where specially trained police or mental health professionals conduct a more thorough assessment of the patient. If necessary, they refer that person to mental health services. Examples: Knoxville, Tennessee; Los Angeles, California. ("Study in