The Evolution of Mental Illness and Policing Part 1

 The Evolution of Mental Illness and Policing Part 1

Over the 27 years of serving as a police officer, I have seen the number of mental health calls for police skyrocket. In Minnesota mental health care went from being a State responsibility to that of police and the criminal justice system. Moose Lake State Hospital who served the severely mentally ill in our area Minnesota closed in 1995 and ironically enough, became a State prison (https://mn.gov/mnddc/past/pdf/00s/07/07-DHS-ENG.pdf).

My first foray as a police officer into the mental health world was in the mid- 90s after we continually received 911 calls on a severely mentally ill man who would self medicate with illegal drugs and alcohol. I had been a police officer a few years and was getting frustrated along with other cops and community members with habitual offenders - often with an increasing connection to mental illness.  I worked at the bottom of the chain and on the street, but I would frequently hear from administrators that State help for the number with mental illness had dried up.   

His name has faded from my memory, but I still remember his face and how he could stare right through me in an eerie way.  I once had memorized his full name and D.O.B. I can now only recall he had a “Z” in his name.  Rumor had it he had a twin brother who looked a lot like him and never had any problems.  As Z wandered around downtown he would generate a significant number of 911 calls as he would approach people in a threatening manner, grab at them, shout and swear; often with drool and mucus dripping down his face.  

Trying to move Z along and send him on his way was always fruitless as he stood his ground like a lion.  We tried every type of approach you could imagine; the best friend approach, the extremely polite approach, the kind and caring approach, the direct approach, the threaten-to- arrest approach, the threaten detox approach, and any other legal approach we could think of.  Hammering Z with detox, jail and tickets had only a temporary impact and felt like putting a bandaid on a gaping wound. 

During this time, we were also seeing more individuals downtown with mental health issues.  Complaints about people sleeping in the skywalks, panhandling, and being disorderly in areas around downtown were growing.  Further, Downtown businesses started expressing concerns about their patrons’ growing fear of crime.  

I had fought with the wiry Z many times while trying to take him into custody; he never went without a struggle.  We realized it was only a matter of time before he, an officer, or an innocent person was going to get injured. As a habitual problem solver I wanted to find a solution. Through our continued contact, we realized if we could stabilize Z’s mental health and get him drug and alcohol treatment, he would likely no longer be a problem. 

It seemed as if our systems were failing and it was up to the police to figure it out. While digging around for solutions, we learned there was a process County Social Services used that could commit an individual for treatment to get them the help they needed.  I reached out to the supervisor of the County unit and initially received a cold reception.  That same week we were dealing with Z repeatedly. It was that same week I hurt my arm while trying to arrest him.  

The next week I hit the Social Services supervisor up again and changed my tactic to that of concern for the welfare of police officers and Z himself.  I told her that an officer was going to get severely hurt or worse and Z was a danger to both us and him and that his case needed to be addressed.  Two weeks later Z was committed to treatment and I never saw or heard from him again. Finally, after years of repeated arrests hundreds of 911 calls, the system finally appeared to have worked. Z’s name would occasionally come up at shift briefings when officers would say, “remember when Z” did this or that, but less and less as time went on; today there are probably only a few officers who would remember him. 

I tell Z’s story to illustrate how mental health impacts policing and our communities.  Sadly, the issues around those in mental health crisis has worsened.  Many of us have been trying to bring attention to the over-reliance on police for social issues like this for several decades.  Maybe this year we have reached a point where there is recognition that resources are needed for those in crisis and suffering from addiction like they were decades ago……

Police did not receive training on mental illness in the 90's and before. My only education related to mental health was a college psychology class. Today, most officers received basic mental health training at the academy, but the civil commitment process or how to get an individual off of the streets beyond a short visit to the ER or crisis center for long term help is still a mystery for many officers.

In part 2, I will write more about this critical issue for our cities.