Should police be the first responders to mental health crises?

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (WRGB) — When 911 receives an emergency call involving a mental health crisis, police are often the first to respond — but should they be?

Whether that approach best serves people in distress is an open question gaining attention.

This week, a welfare check in Berkshire County, Massachusetts involving a man experiencing mental distress ended in an officer-involved shooting and the man’s death. Two officers were injured.

Last week in Schoharie County, a man accused of stealing a sheriff patrol vehicle and crashing it said his crimes were driven by suicidal thoughts and a desire to end his life using police.

RELATED: ‘I just wanted to die’: Suspect in Schoharie crime spree speaks on mental health crisis

The man, James Phillips claims that before the crime spree, deputies responded multiple times to welfare checks at his home after family called dispatch expressing concerns about his mental health. After each visit, no further action was taken. Those claims reigniting questions of how police should respond when someone is believed to be suicidal – and what the law requires them to do.

John Cooney, a retired police captain who also trained officers in mental health intervention and de-escalation, said officers responding to repeated welfare checks are expected to do more than simply leave after making contact.

Under New York’s Mental Hygiene Law, police may take someone into custody for a psychiatric evaluation if they have reasonable cause to believe the person poses a risk of serious harm to themselves or others. That determination, Cooney said, can be based on credible information from family members or other third parties.

“If that exists, officers are fully obligated — and very well covered liability-wise — to act upon those statements,” Cooney said.

He added that when credible reports of self-harm are made, officers can place the individual into custody and transport them to a hospital for evaluation by medical professionals.

Mental health advocates, however, argue that police should not be the primary responders to mental health crises in the first place.

“The question is, are we putting the right services on the street, and are they properly funded?” said Harvey Rosenthal, CEO of the Alliance for Rights and Recovery. “Police are often not the best resource. They don’t necessarily want to be dealing with mental health.”

Rosenthal said crisis response models that send mental health clinicians — rather than armed officers — are more effective at de-escalation and connection to care. He pointed to Mobile Crisis Assessment Teams operating in several counties in the Capital Region, but said those services are often underfunded and difficult to access.

Rosenthal also cited Oregon’s CAHOOTS program, which for decades has dispatched mental health workers and emergency medical technicians instead of police to handle many crisis calls.

“For 30 years they had great results,” Rosenthal said. “It’s not always about training police. It’s about sending someone else — someone more appropriate.”

Advocates say similar models are being considered in New York, but progress has been slow and uneven.

Phillips’ claims do not affect the criminal charges he faces. But experts say the case highlights a growing disconnect between available mental health services and law enforcement — and the consequences when systems fail to coordinate.

Mental health advocates argue that until communities invest in accessible, well-funded crisis response teams that work alongside — or instead of — police, similar situations may continue to end in violence.

If you or someone you know is struggling or experiencing thoughts of self-harm, help is available by calling or texting 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which provides free, confidential support 24 hours a day.