Mental health professionals replace police on some Denver 911 calls under new program

[muriel_volestrangler]

This, Sailon explained, is Denver’s new Support Team Assistance Response program, which sends a mental health professional and a paramedic to some 911 calls instead of police.

Since its launch June 1, the STAR van has responded to more than 350 calls, replacing police in matters that don’t threaten public safety and are often connected to unmet mental or physical needs. The goal is to connect people who pose no danger with services and resources while freeing up police to respond to other calls. The team, which is not armed, has not called police for backup, Sailon said.

“We’re really trying to create true alternatives to us using police and jails,” said Vinnie Cervantes with Denver Alliance for Street Health Response, one of the organizations that helped start the program.
...
The team has responded to an indecent exposure call that turned out to be a woman changing clothes in an alley because she was unhoused and had no other private place to go. They’ve been called out to a trespassing call for a man who was setting up a tent near someone’s home. They’ve helped people experiencing suicidal thoughts, people slumped against a fence, people simply acting strange.

https://www.denverpost.com/2020/09/06/denver-star-program-mental-health-police/

Needed everywhere.

[LizBeth]

1. Oregon has long had CAHOOTS, same program and very effective.

[Wellstone ruled]

2. It works!

Our Daughter volunteers and is on call with the Denver program. Many of her Clients are homeless persons both Vets and non Vets,also at risk individuals living in their Cars or otherwise. As she said last Sunday,some days are three days long,but,it saves lives. Sad to say,Denver like other major Cities are lacking in mental health facilities.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. That's brilliant - say 'thanks' to her! (nt)

[Wellstone ruled]

8. She has been working with challenged Adults her whole life,

and her Adult,County Sponsored,Day Care was one of the first some thirty years ago. She has been Lobbying the City Council as well as the County in Denver to open a bunch of these facilities. Not so lucky as of lately.

[Solly Mack]

3. How civilized.

[gratuitous]

4. This is what we mean when we talk about defunding the police

A mental health crisis is not a crime, any more than a physical health crisis is a crime. If someone goes down from a heart attack, you don't call the cops, you call an ambulance.

I have a childhood friend who went into the military, did his career duty, and is now a public relations consultant at the Pentagon. He posted a story to Facebook from a friend of his a year or two ago about how the military is being used in all kinds of non-military situations. The thrust of the article (it was rather long and well written) was that the military was called on to work all these non-military situations (e.g., disaster preparedness and relief) because the military is the government agency that's funded. If we reduced the military budget by the amount of money spent on non-military activities, FEMA (for example) could carry out its mandate much better. The military would still be fully funded to deal with national security, it just wouldn't be out there handing out water or fighting wildfires.

[Mersky]

5. +1000

[crickets]

6. Programs likes this are a great step in the right direction.

It's heartening to read that changes are already taking place in some communities. Here's hoping this strategy spreads to others in the near future. I did notice a new media buzzword for homelessness. The more clinical and sanitized word "unhoused" was used more than once. Yech.

[Brother Buzz]

9. This is an idea that should have been implemented decades ago

And a side note: I would be willing to tar and feather the nimrod that came up with the catchy name, "Defund the Police".