Across the United States, the responsibility of handling domestic issues with mentally ill citizens has largely fallen into the domain of the criminal justice system. Increasingly, a significant portion of law enforcement’s time and resources are devoted to handling calls related to mental illness.
The San Antonio Police Department’s Mental Health Unit is trained specifically to handle mental health calls. In “A Different Kind of Force—Policing Mental Illness,” filmmakers offer viewers deep access into the inner workings and personal reflections of the 10-person unit, tasked with training the rest of the department in mental health and de-escalation tactics, as well as responding to mental health 911 calls across the city.
Additional resources on LE response to mentally ill subjects
- National survey details latest findings about LE response to mentally ill subjects
- How one agency is decriminalizing mental illness, saving money and bettering lives
- How to build an LE mental health community response model
- Grants for police mental health outreach programs
- Creating a stigma-free approach to mental illness