Financial Times Joshua Chaffin in New York JUNE 23 2020 When a court in Tucson, Arizona, orders someone to be evaluated for mental health issues, the often prickly task of rounding up that person does not fall to ordinary cops. Rather, it is handled by the Mental Health Support Team, whose 16 highly trained officers dress casually and have relationships with doctors and clinicians across the city. In an accomplishment that may only be properly appreciated by fellow police, the MHST has dealt with more than 5,000 such orders in recent years, often involving agitated and troubled citizens, without once resorting to force. It is an example of why many experts regard the Tucson police as one of America’s best-trained and most progressive forces — particularly when it comes to mental health issues." ***** Menlo Park needs to restructure its public safety functions in a similar way - a badge and gun is not the best or the most cost effective way to deal with non-criminal issues. Peter Carpenter Received on Thu Jun 25 2020 - 07:33:32 PDT
