Meeting Time: October 14, 2020 at 8:30am MST
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Agenda Item

6 Phoenix Police Department Behavioral Health Response Approaches

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    Amanda Leach over 3 years ago

    This simply gives the public reassurance that the police are being "reformed". It seems many other comments assume only persons battling addiction are in need of mental health services. Also, CIT still incorporates the police. Why are the police needed in these situations? Why do we need co-responder models? Will mental health needs result in arrest or restraint? This isn't a solution. Simply PERFORMATIVE action.

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    Jisoo Kim over 3 years ago

    The multitude of programs described here speaks to the great behavioral and mental health needs of the people of Phoenix. These initiatives read as belated attempts to reform the image of police. Trainings have proven ineffective in many other contexts. Let us not buy into the idea that law enforcement is part of the solution here. They are simply “embedding” one or two licensed professionals here and there, while the city should wholly shift resources to those professionals instead.

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    Jade B over 3 years ago

    I agree and this can work. But don't take a dime from police budget.
    Work closely with PLEA, consult them Mayor and entire council. Especially Carlos, you have a lot to learn and stop trying to play God over Police. Go to the academy and become an officer. You have no idea how hard the job is, for such little money.

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    Steven Moose over 3 years ago

    Police have a budget, and a separate budget is for Mental health. I like the comment about having NA give a presentation. They did one at a coalition meeting & it was great. Phoenix PD needs this as well as council members and Mayor. We need more police. Crime is out of control. Where are the mental hospitals? We have mentally ill wandering streets. We need immediate solutions for them. Obviously they can't take care of themselves. They'd be best inside in a facility. Work on that.

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    Daryl Handler over 3 years ago

    Never ever take any money from the police budget to fun anything. Yes we need mental hospitals and locked facilities - I agree if someone calls and tells the police the person has mental illness or substance abuse. I suggest you have Narcotics Anonymous do a presentation as they've done for Glendale PD, so officers and staff understand how and what to do. Sending out a professional with Police on mental health calls is great. I definitely support that, and several other items in this report.

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    Bailey Spears over 3 years ago

    Studies from around the country and over decades have shown that more training and "police reform" do not deliver on the results they promise. One-off trainings of officers can never replace the years of education and practice that behavioral health professionals go through. Collaboration between these professionals and police is a step, but not a pancea. Invest more dollars and resources into fixing the root problems in our communies so that police don't need to be involved in behavior health.

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    Nina Alonso over 3 years ago

    I think mental illness and drug use can be correlated. If cops will be notified when there is a person with mental illness present, will they be there for someone on the street on drugs with mental illness? Will they be treated as someone with a clinical diagnosis as well? There’s too many gaps. LARGE sections of the police force should be THOROUGHLY trained in behavioral health or the money should be divested and put into the systems that are created to handle citizens with mental illness.

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    Taylor J over 3 years ago

    I do not support ANY $$$$ taken from police budget.
    I agree with the gal that said we'd like to hear from actual patrol officers. Have them submit ideas anonymously and see what comes back. Fear of retaliation shouldn't be an obstacle. We need more mental facilities, Lock down. Stop giving addicts more drugs. They need abstenance! Send them to Narcotics Anonymous for a year probation with mandatory UAs they pay for. We need more Police. I demand Council & Mayor Communicate weekly with PD.

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    Jennifer Thomas over 3 years ago

    I'd like to know what the Police think on this issue. Not the chief, but patrol officers, detective and Sargeants. Especially from patrol what works best for them.
    We send addicts to Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics to AA. We need more Mental hospitals & locked down facilities. No money should never be taken away from Police. Mayor & Carlos, give up your detail. You both hate police, you've said it, acted like it you have zero respect for them. Give up your salary & put that that for mhealth

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    Devin Slack over 3 years ago

    Phoenix should be implementing a mental and behavioral health crisis health service, funded from reappropriated police budget, and staffed by crisis support teams that is independent of Phoenix PD. Armed police officers are meant to deal with crime and do not have the appropriate caretaker mindset to help people having a crisis and tragically show this by harming or murdering people in mental or emotional distress. Training won't change that. Keep mental health and criminal justice separate.

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    Sissy Veteran over 3 years ago

    Monies should never come out of the Police budget for anything. Public safety is #1. We only have 4 Detectives in missing children for the entire City of Phoenix. We should have 100+. We're short 2000 police and staff below the 2008 levels. This isn't acceptable. We need more police. Send drug addicts to Narcotics Anonymous. www.arizona-na.org We need mental hospitals and group homes. If we had more police, we'd have less crime, less ppl selling drugs because street drugs put them in psychosis

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    Martina Nicholas over 3 years ago

    We need more funding towards behavioral health & less towards the police force. A lot of the arrests made could be de-escalated, and diverted through a better funded more equipt INDEPENDENT behavioral health response team. Things like dealing with the homeless population, people on drugs, adults & children with mental illnesses. Things that those people should receive treatment for instead of ending up with records or in our unjust “justice” system.