Police response to mentally ill people is under scrutiny. Denver may offer way forward.

[Nevilledog]

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John FitzGerald
@TheTweetOfJohn
Instead of police, this type of call is routed to STAR, a program that sends a social worker and paramedic to low-level emergency calls. Of the 1,351 calls responded to over the last year, not one had to request backup from the Denver Police Department.

Police response to mentally ill people is under scrutiny. Denver may offer way forward.
A year-old program called STAR sends a social worker and paramedic to low-level emergency calls involving people in crisis.
nbcnews.com
6:38 PM · Jul 4, 2021

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/police-response-mentally-ill-people-under-scrutiny-denver-may-offer-n1273035

DENVER — The calls come into 911 every day: A homeless man is standing outside a liquor store screaming and acting aggressive. A woman is having a mental health crisis and says she can’t feel her body or face. A man who was escorted away by police 90 minutes ago has returned and is exposing himself and urinating on buildings.

Instead of being routed to police, this type of call is handed over to STAR, short for Support Team Assistance Response, a year-old program that sends a social worker and paramedic to low-level emergency calls. Of the 1,351 calls STAR responded to over the last year, not one had to request backup from the Denver Police Department.

STAR rolled out in June 2020 just as the nation convulsed with outrage over the death of George Floyd under the knee of then-Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin and protesters demanded sweeping police reform.

Now, STAR is being expanded citywide, and other communities around the country are looking at it as a model for how to handle emergency calls involving unarmed mentally ill peoplein crisis.

*snip*

[Arazi]

1. Big rec

[crickets]

2. Sounds like much healthier response instead of sending the police.

Glad to hear it's working.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

3. Cops often treat you like shit

If you're mentally ill.

My experience dealing with cops when I was in crisis..not violent or threatening has been traumatizing and kinda dehumanizing.

If you go to the hospital for anything else other than mental illness,how the difference in how they treat you is stark.