title: Emerging partnerships between mental health and law enforcement.
abstract: Police departments in the 194 U.S. cities with a population of 100,000 or more were surveyed in 1996 to identify strategies they used to obtain input from the mental health system about dealing with mentally ill persons. A total of 174 departments responded (90 percent). Ninety-six departments had no specialized response for dealing with mentally ill persons. Among the 78 departments with special programs, three basic strategies were found: a police-based specialized police response, a police-based specialized mental health response, and a mental-health-based specialized mental health response. At least two-thirds of all departments, even those with no specialized response program, rated themselves as moderately or very effective in dealing with mentally ill persons in crisis.
authors.affiliation: Policy Research Associates, Inc., Delmar, New York 12054, USA. mdeane@prainc.com
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Deane
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Steadman
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Borum
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Veysey
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Morrissey
mesh_terms: D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003419:Crisis Intervention; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D016495:Police; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D014481:United States