Re:NYC pilot tries mental health responders in place of police
by neekleer on Saturday November 14, 2020 @02:23PM
(#25094849)
Apparently, they usually bring police with them, and they are often called to the scene by police. Adding a trained counselor for deescalation sounds nice, but it may simply be an enhancement not an alternative. https://www.streetroots.org/news/2019/05/03/portland-mental-...
[ Parent
| on HN ]
Re:NYC pilot tries mental health responders in place of police
by jasonwatkinspdx on Saturday November 14, 2020 @02:37PM
(#25094969)
It's both. Dispatch calls it out and sometimes police show up, sometimes they don't. The main thing is the team is focused on solving the problem vs controlling people while ignoring their problem.
Re:NYC pilot tries mental health responders in place of police
by Vaslo on Saturday November 14, 2020 @08:51PM
(#25097439)
If people are a danger to themselves or others, the cops should be there, period. Sorry if that hurts their feelings but once a situation triggers calling for assistance it’s not just about them anymore.
Re:NYC pilot tries mental health responders in place of police
by shadowgovt on Sunday November 15, 2020 @12:32AM
(#25098544)
There are multiple problems with that simplified model of conflict engagement. The most immediate one is that it encourages people to call nobody and just try to sort out the situation themselves, because the risk of a simple call for assistance ending in the death of a loved one is too high right now.
https://www.inquirer.com/news/west-philadelphia-police-shoot...