Mental health teams roll in Minneapolis

Minneapolis has finally launched a long-awaited program to help citizens experiencing mental health crises. Beginning this week, the city can send unarmed mental health professionals instead of police officers to certain kinds of calls.

Creating this service is an important step toward moving some responsibilities out of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) so that sworn officers can focus more on violent crime, investigations and building relationships with the community. The essential change can prevent injuries and save lives.

Successful alternative approaches also save money. A 2016 National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) report showed that the cost savings for crisis services was $102 per person served when hospitalization was avoided and $1,080 when a person wasn't arrested and was kept out of the criminal court system.

As part of the Minneapolis City Council's 2020 Safety for All plan, the city Office of Performance and Innovation (OPI) developed the program. It is supported by funds originally appropriated for MPD that were moved to alternative public safety options. In July, OPI awarded Canopy Mental Health & Consulting a two-year, $6 million contract to staff the program. It was supposed to start in August but faced delays.

Now two-member teams can be deployed to respond to some 911 calls about behavioral or mental health-related crises. The pros will respond to calls in casual clothing, including a T-shirt that reads "behavioral crisis response," featuring the Canopy Roots and city logos. That matters because just the presence of a uniformed cop can sometimes escalate a mental health crisis.

It's critical to note that the teams will not be dispatched to calls involving firearms or violent behavior, according to an OPI news release. In recent years, police and city leaders have repeatedly told the Star Tribune Editorial Board that it's difficult to keep up with the growth in mental health calls.

The Minneapolis effort is a welcome addition to the metro-area's existing mental health response programs, said Sue Abderholden, Minnesota executive director of NAMI. She told an editorial writer that the city's program is compatible with Hennepin County's existing COPE (Community Outreach for Psychiatric Emergencies) program, which sends teams to homes to help those with mental health issues.

"There is so much need — with COVID and other issues more people are really struggling,'' she said. "I take a lot of calls through NAMI from people who say they are nervous about calling 911" fearing that someone could be hurt if they do.

Other good news for improved mental health responses this year include the passage of Travis's Law, named for Travis Jordan, whom police shot and killed three years ago after he approached officers with a large knife during a mental health call. That statute requires dispatchers to direct some mental health calls to crisis teams.

Earlier this year, the Legislature created a 15-member working group to recommend statewide training and standards for 911 dispatchers or "telecommunicators." The group must submit a report by Jan. 15, 2022. And in July, 988 will become the national suicide crisis hotline, making it easier for people to get help by phone no matter where they are located.