Specialized law enforcement responders de-escalate and observe the nature of incidents in which mental illness may be a factor using tactics focused on safety. Drawing on their understanding and knowledge of relevant laws and available resources, officers then determine the appropriate disposition.

Specialized law enforcement-based response programs are designed to resolve officers’ encounters with people with mental illnesses safely and, when appropriate, link these individuals to mental health supports and services that reduce the chances for future interactions with the criminal justice system. The success of these programs is contingent on officers’ using tactics that safely de-escalate situations involving someone who is behaving erratically or is in crisis. The high prevalence of trauma histories in this population requires the use of trauma-informed responses. In addition to de-escalating the incident, responding officers should assess whether a crime has been committed and observe the person’s behavior within the given circumstances to determine if mental illness may be a factor. Officers should draw upon expertise acquired in specialized training and from their experiences to identify signs and symptoms of mental illness. Officers must ascertain whether the person appears to present a danger to him- or herself or others. To assist in this determination, officers may gather information from knowledgeable individuals at the scene, including mental health co-responders.

Officers must make disposition decisions based on their observations, information they gather at the scene, and their knowledge of community services and legal mandates. To assist officers in their decision making, the planning committee should develop clear guidelines that are consistent with the program’s goals and governing authorities. For example, such programs might promote alternatives to incarceration for eligible individuals. If a person has come to the attention of law enforcement because of behaviors that appear to result from a mental illness and no serious crime has been committed, guidelines and protocols consistent with existing law should enable officers to divert the individual to mental health supports and services. When a serious crime has been committed, the person should be arrested.

To make these decisions, officers must be familiar with available community resources—particularly any 24-hour center that can receive individuals in mental health crises. Officers also must understand their state’s criteria for involuntary emergency evaluation to make appropriate decisions regarding whether to detain and transport the person to a facility where he or she can undergo an emergency mental health evaluation. Officers must take into consideration both the individual’s treatment needs and civil liberties and should pursue voluntary compliance with treatment whenever possible.

In the rare case when an incident involves barricaded individuals or de-escalation fails, responding officers will require additional support. Some agencies may equip officers who most frequently encounter people with mental illnesses with less lethal weapons, so as to minimize injuries that could occur if there is a threat to safety and some use of force becomes necessary. Agencies should provide officers with additional training on the safe and appropriate deployment of these weapons and should establish protocols to guide officers in their decisions to use them. The planning committee also should develop protocols to make certain there is effective coordination during such incidents among specialized law enforcement responders, SWAT teams, and mental health professionals. Although agencies often are under pressure to resolve these situations quickly, it may be best, when there is no imminent threat of danger, to allow time for mental health personnel with expertise in crisis negotiation and law enforcement operations to communicate with the individual.