A Different Kind of Force: Policing Mental Illness

Law enforcement officers are increasingly the first responders to incidents involving people with mental illness. Without proper training and expertise, confrontations taking place amid an already-charged atmosphere can escalate quickly, often leading to the injury or death of the individual with mental illness. This concern and numerous high-profile police shootings involving unarmed individuals in a mental health crisis have prompted renewed debates about policing the mentally ill. In the San Antonio Police Department, a special plainclothes unit is trained specifically to handle mental health calls.