Every day, law enforcement personnel across our country, respond to assist people who are in crisis. That crisis could be caused by criminal activity, but many times, we are called to assist because of mental health related concerns. Over the last 2 months since Jan. 1, Dodge County law enforcement has responded to 18 suicidal incidents and has handled 14 emergency detentions.
Emergency detentions are generally incidents in which a person has demonstrated they are a substantial risk to themselves or another as defined in Wisconsin Statute 51.15(1). When this occurs, law enforcement and human service professionals make a joint decision to detain an individual for mental health treatment at a mental health facility. These detentions are overseen immediately upon admission to a mental health facility by mental health professionals and a circuit court judge within 72 hours.
It is certainly law enforcement’s responsibility to be the initial responders to these incidents and stabilize the situations doing their part to keep everyone safe. I am very proud of our law enforcement officers who respond and stabilize these situations. While doing so, they act as not only law enforcement, but sometimes must also act as a counselor, a negotiator, and a mediator to find the best solution possible.
It is my opinion that once these situations become stable and it is determined mental health intervention is needed, the subject of these cases should be turned over to mental health providers immediately for treatment.
Unfortunately, in Wisconsin, that is not how the process goes. Typically, once an emergency detention process begins, a law enforcement officer transports the subject in need of mental health treatment to a local hospital for medical clearance in the back seat of a squad car. For those who have seen the back seat of a squad car, you know that this is not the best means for a subject in need of mental health treatment to be transported.
Next, when they arrive at the hospital, a medical clearance and a wait for placement at a mental health facility begin. Yes, medical staff see them, but mental health professionals do not see them at this point. Instead, they sit in mental health crisis in a hospital room, guarded by an officer, many times for hours before a treatment facility can even be identified. Once a facility is identified, the law enforcement officer again places the person into the back seat of a squad car and transports that person to the mental health facility.
Typically, this transport in our area of the state is at a minimum, a 1-hour transport. Finally, many hours after the initial detention, the person is turned over to mental health staff so they can begin to process of receiving the mental health assistance they so desperately need.
A typical emergency detention from initial contact until the person is placed on average takes anywhere from 4 to 8 hours. There are times when this process can take as long as 16 hours or even more. Not only is this process very expensive and resource draining for the law enforcement agency dealing with the crisis, but also more importantly, the process and laws in place force people in crisis to be treated like a criminal in custody, rather than patients in need of mental health treatment.
Over the past 8 years, I have been working with stakeholders and legislators to identify ways to streamline this process with very little success. It has been my goal that we find a way to provide help for these people faster. At the same time, I have been working to free up our law enforcement resources at a time when there is a high need for cops on the street, not sitting needlessly in a hospital room.
While law enforcement has no logical place in the transport and facilitation of medical clearance for persons needing these services, the sheriff’s office will continue to do its part to get these patients where they need to go for help. I hope that in the future, our state can streamline the treatment options for those who are mentally ill. To me, it would make more sense that like other illnesses, ambulances and doctors manage the needs of those in crisis rather than law enforcement. Once these situations have been made safe, I would prefer to see law enforcement return to the task of enforcing the law and keeping Dodge County a safe and enjoyable place to live, work, and visit.
