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law enforcement

At the intersection of law enforcement, mental health

October 16, 2019 By Kevin Weiss

An ‘All hands on deck approach’ is needed to address the nation’s mental health crisis.

That means greater levels of state and federal funding, and enhanced collaboration between law enforcement and behavioral practitioners.

At least that was the message delivered by a group of experts during a recent criminal justice panel discussion titled “The Intersection of Law Enforcement and Mental Health.”

Speakers focused on the broad array of challenges facing today’s criminal justice professionals and the current trends, as well as future initiatives that shape law enforcement’s engagement when dealing with mental health issues.

Panelists underscored the significance of the problem on a national scale.

More than 100 students, faculty, law enforcement officials and community members gathered for the Oct. 7 discussion, hosted by Saint Leo University.

There’s no question, the challenges are far-reaching.

Dr. Jeffrey D. Senese introduces an Oct. 7 criminal justice panel discussion at Saint Leo University. Panelists, from left: Dr. Christopher Cronin, professor of psychology; Dr. Moneque Walker-Pickett, associate department chair of criminal justice and professor of criminal justice; Michelle Allen, instructor of criminal justice; Kim Senger, social work professional; and, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco. (Courtesy of Mary McCoy, Saint Leo University)

Approximately 43.8 million adults in the United States experience mental illness each year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

The organization also reports 46% of Americans will suffer a mental illness in their lifetime.

Panelist Dr. Christopher Cronin, a Saint Leo professor of psychology, cited an American Psychological Association report that shows there are now 42,000 suicides annually in the U.S. That marks the highest rate in 28 years, and is up 24% percent since 1999.

“This is clearly an epidemic,” Cronin said.

For law enforcement, it has made a tough job even tougher, as officers work the frontlines of the mental health crisis.

One study shows that a quarter of the people shot by police are in a mental health crisis at the time when the use of force occurred, Cronin said.

However, Cronin added, law enforcement is not necessarily to blame.

“They have been forced to do a job — become mental health professionals — for which they have not been trained,” the professor said. “Officers are trained to take control of a situation and to give lawful commands, however, a person in a mental health crisis cannot conform their behavior and a situation escalates.”

Some noted incidents have included “suicide by cop.”

This phrase refers to a situation in which an individual deliberately behaves in a threatening manner, with intent to provoke a lethal response from a public safety or law enforcement officer.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco, another panelist, understands the challenges facing his deputies.

Law enforcement seeks to mitigate threat situations with bullhorns and less lethal devices, but encounters quickly can escalate, when a person who is suicidal attacks or threatens to attack police or citizens, Nocco said.

“Law enforcement officers are being put in a tough position,” the sheriff said. “We always say, ‘The safety of the citizens around that person and the deputy has to be paramount,’ because if they’re charging at you…the reality is — we have families, we want to go home, too.”

Michelle Allen, a Saint Leo criminal justice undergraduate instructor, reiterated points raised by her fellow panelists, Cronin and Nocco.

“How are you as an officer supposed to recognize that this person is suffering from mental illness? How can you look at somebody in the five seconds and say, ‘Oh, he’s mentally ill…’ He’s fighting you. What do you do, because you want to go home, too,” Allen said.

Before venturing into higher education, Allen spent two decades in Georgia, working for the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office and Smyrna Police Department, respectively.

Many arrests occur when people are in a mental health crisis or breakdown, and have either gone off their medications or have not yet been diagnosed, Allen said.

Pasco Sheriff’s Office estimates as many as 20% of its calls for service are mental health-related.

In an initiative to “get ahead of the curve,” the agency has established a specialized Mental Health and Threat Assessment Team (MHTAT). That team is trained to keep tabs on the county’s residents who have been referred on repeated occasions for involuntary evaluations, under the state’s Baker Act.

However, Allen noted, if a crime has been committed, the mentally ill still must be treated like other suspects, in the interest of officer and public safety.

“These people are not necessarily violent, not necessarily criminal,” she said, but she added,  “you want to definitely get that person in handcuffs…and then determine what’s going on with them.”

More frequent encounters between police and the mentally ill can be traced to the deinstitutionalization or closing of mental health hospitals in the last 60 years or so, according to Dr. Moneque Walker-Pickett, another panelist, who is the associate department chair of criminal justice and a criminal justice professor at Saint Leo.

The number of available psychiatric beds has plummeted, according to data cited by Walker-Pickett.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that today there is roughly one psychiatric bed for nearly 3,000 Americans, while in 1955, there was one bed for every 300 Americans, Walker-Pickett said.

Facility closures have resulted in an increase of people with mental illness winding up in America’s jail and prison systems, she added.

She explained: “It resulted in putting a lot of these people on the streets, it resulted in having people at home who weren’t getting the treatment that they needed, and as a result, sometimes there were interactions with law enforcement. You see that happening more and more — these interactions with law enforcement.”

Walker-Pickett also pointed out alternative treatment wasn’t appropriately provided in lieu of the closing of mental health facilities, particularly in low-income communities “who don’t have access to affordable or appropriate health care.”

Published October 16, 2019

Note: See more on this panel discussion in first story, below.

Filed Under: Health, Top Story Tagged With: American Psychological Association, Chris Nocco, Christopher Cronin, Clayton County Sheriff's Office, law enforcement, mental health, Michelle Allen, Moneque Walker-PIckett, NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Saint Leo University, Smyrna Police Department, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Panelists suggest solutions

October 16, 2019 By Kevin Weiss

Panelists at a discussion at Saint Leo University had some thoughts for ways to divert some offenders from the criminal justice system to mental health courts, instead.

That way they could get treatment for their issues, rather than jail or prison time.

Dr. Moneque Walker-Pickett, a panelist during an Oct. 7 session called “The Intersection of Law Enforcement and Mental Health,” advocates increased federal spending to expand available mental health treatment options.

Other panelists agreed more resources are need to provide mental health services.

Members of the law enforcement, social work, mental health, and education communities joined Saint Leo University students, faculty and staff for a panel discussion on the intersection of law enforcement and mental health. (Courtesy of Saint Leo University)

Florida’s mental health spending ranks 49th of 50 states, at approximately $40 per capita annually, said Dr. Christopher Cronin, a psychology professor at Saint Leo University.

“It’s hard to get a good dinner at a restaurant for $40,” Cronin said.

“So when you vote—and you should — find out what your candidate thinks about the mental health crisis and their record on funding for mental health.”

Cronin specifically called for an expansion in crisis intervention and de-escalation training, to better prepare law enforcement agencies to tackle mental health crises.

Some of these mental health training programs are offered by behavioral health volunteers pro bono, Cronin said.

“It’s a good start, but we need more funding,” he said.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco, also a panelist, expressed confidence that the county could  receive more funding from an ongoing multibillion dollar civil lawsuit against five opioid manufacturers.

He suggested those dollars be used to help set up “mental health ERs,” or quasi walk-in clinics, to serve people facing a mental health crisis.

Nocco put it this way: “If you broke your arm or twisted your leg, you know where to go. If you have a mental health crisis, what do you do? You call 911, but that’s not providing help.”

The sheriff also called for increasing both awareness and resources regarding mental health issues in law enforcement circles. He thinks it should be similar to the way the military has brought about a more open dialogue regarding post-traumatic stress.

“Nobody ever talks about that in law enforcement,” Nocco said. “The law enforcement officers will not readily say, ‘Hey, I need help, I need to talk to somebody…’”

Panelist Kim Senger, a masters level social worker who’s worked as a therapist in both Canada and Florida, said law enforcement and social workers need to become more effective partners to help at-risk youth and troubled students in school systems.

He emphasized the need for more youth intervention and counseling, to deal “with issues before they get out of hand.”

“We have to look at is as a holistic approach,” he said. “If you can’t find them, if you can’t connect to them, there’s going to be trouble, they will be troubled.”

The experts also had ideas for how average people can play a role to help reduce the nation’s mental health crisis.

“You do not need to be a mental health professional to have a significant impact on someone,” Cronin said.

“Find someone who looks like they need a friend. The person having lunch alone, the classmate who never seemed to quite fit in, the colleague who doesn’t seem to blend.

“What I would tell you to do is befriend them, go out of your comfort zone, join them for lunch or ask them to join you. No one should eat alone if they don’t want to,” Cronin said.

Published October 16, 2019

Note: See more on this topic in the featured story, above.

Filed Under: Health, Local News Tagged With: Chris Nocco, Christopher Cronin, Kim Senger, law enforcement, mental health, Moneque Walker-PIckett, Saint Leo University

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