Photo: Stock Unsplash @enginakyurt
Nov. 10, 2020 By Allie Griffin
Mental health experts will be sent out next year instead of police officers in response to 911 calls involving non-violent people experiencing mental illness problems, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday.
The new plan, which will be piloted in a number of neighborhoods next year, involves dispatching FDNY Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and mental health crisis workers to the scene when non violent mental health episodes take place.
The professionals will replace armed NYPD officers who currently respond to these 911 calls.
“For the first time in our city’s history, health responders will be the default responders for a person in crisis, making sure those struggling with mental illness receive the help they need,” de Blasio said in a statement.
The pilot will launch in two “high-need” precincts in February 2021, de Blasio said — though he didn’t specify which precincts or neighborhoods.
The mental health team will be trained to respond to a variety of mental health calls, such as suicide attempts, substance misuse and serious mental illness episodes — all of which NYPD officers, along with EMTS, currently respond to.
The mental health experts will work to de-escalate the emergency situations to reduce police involvement. However, the mayor said, if there is a situation involving a weapon or risk of harm, the teams will respond along with NYPD officers.
The team members will have ongoing training, technical assistance and support from New York City’s public hospital system, de Blasio said.
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5 Comments
This would be funny if it weren’t so sad. Ladies and gentlemen, this is what the socialists in NY have reduced us to. Madness, filth, crime, corruption, violence in the streets, mass exodus out of NYC and fear. This is their legacy.
Minneapolis “defunded” the police now the local pols are looking for cops from other areas to come and help them with rampant lawlessness. We are not far behind.
Can we just LOCK DeBlasio up in a nice PADDED “condo” with “Versace” straitjacket! And have LAW & ORDER for the rest of us?
He’s the loon who created this MESS!
Now “Mental Health Care” people will be deployed to talk down crazies with GUNS!!!
Cause you know most times when you call for HELP you expect them to be packing. If some lib throught the bloke was JUST distressed…then OPP..sy the bloke just PERMANTLY took out your “Mental Health Care” workers!
BAN the IDIOT!
And Back the Cops!
Portland is already eating crow after defunding the cops!
They now are begging to “borrow” cops from other states.
Check dailymail…
It’s the biggest farce that DeBlasio is trying to minic! So No to NYC Pilot.
Wasted tax $$$$ for an already crooked system…
By the way WHERE did he FIND the FUNDS to start this “Pilot Program”!
We’re BILLIONS in the hole since the FIRST Lockdown…
So how’s he funding this???
I doubt any would VOLUNTER for this Kamikaze Mission!!!
> if there is a situation involving a weapon or risk of harm, the teams will respond along with NYPD officers
Do yeah there’s no risk. Leaves the NYPD open to fight crime instead.
Do you know the rules of capitalization? In “Back the Cops” neither of those words are proper nouns. Do you understand basic grammar?
They should send in community leaders to handle the problem
Someone is definitely going to get hurt by someone having a mental illness episode that they didn’t think was dangerous at first. It’s one thing to send people better trained in these scenarios, but they should go with a police escort and not in place of them.