By Stuart M. Butler and Nehath Sheriff, Brookings, June 22, 2021

Last November, we co-authored a Brookings report on alternatives to police as first responders when dealing with people experiencing a mental health crisis. In the report, we drew attention to pathbreaking examples and innovative strategies from around the country that are using specially trained crisis intervention teams rather than armed police. We also highlighted a range of steps needed for such teams to become the standard approach to defusing dangerous mental health incidents.

In just the last six months, there have been several promising steps towards a change in the traditional approach. For example, after the Federal Communications Commission decided to create a national 988 number for mental health crises (which would normally activate non-police response), Congress passed legislation providing grants to jurisdictions to boost their capacity to handle the 988 call system. Thanks to that funding, together with companion actions at the state level, the national system should be up and running in the summer of 2022. Several states have already introduced bills to implement the system, including Washington state, California, and Nevada. In addition, many cities and counties reviewing the role of their police departments are adopting the crisis intervention team model and revising police training – while weighing different views of the best approach. These include the nation’s capital area, where the District of Columbia and the bordering Maryland counties recently announced policy and funding changes.

These developments have received an enormous boost by the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), the $1.9 trillion legislation to stimulate the U.S. economy. Several mental health initiatives are included in the ARPA that will help jurisdictions improve mental health services and introduce reforms based on the success of cities that have used alternatives to regular police involvement and tactics during incidents involving mental health crises.

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