Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses: Tailoring Law Enforcement Initiatives to Individual Jurisdictions
Publication Date: 2010
Abstract: This publication is one in a series that was developed by the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, in partnership with Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and supported by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), to address how law enforcement responds to people with mental illnesses. This study explores the program design process for a variety of Specialized Policing Responses (SPR) and includes detailed examples from several communities from across the country. It is meant to assist initiative leaders and agents of change who want to select or adapt program features from models that will be most effective in their communities. Quotes from practitioners and examples from several communities from across the country are included, along with detailed lessons learned from four jurisdictions selected for on-site study: Akron, OH; Fort Wayne, IN; Los Angeles, CA; and New River Valley, VA.