Oklahoma police would benefit from MH professionals on calls

A bipartisan study held Sept. 13 by Oklahoma's House Public Safety Committee affirmed that law enforcement would benefit from enhanced participation by mental health professionals on crisis calls, the Oklahoman reported Sept. 22. Rep. Randy Randleman, R‐Eufaula, and Rep. Collin Walke, D‐Oklahoma City, requested the study to establish the need for more mental health crisis units and help the police identify mental health crises more accurately, according to a news release from the Oklahoma State House of Representatives. Dr. David J. Thomas, a policing expert and a professor at Florida Gulf Coast University, said he's seen two successful models: One model, CAHOOTS, is used in Oregon and uses the police dispatch person to assess a situation and send an appropriate team of mental and physical health care providers, only dispatching police officers when absolutely necessary. The other version is a co‐responder program being used in Gainesville, Fla. this approach involves a designated car on each shift which pairs a specially trained officer and a mental health professional. When a mental health call comes in, that car is dispatched first as long as it is available.