Austin 9-1-1 Begins Testing Period For ‘Mental Health’ Option

AUSTIN, TX — In the latest example of a new city function created with funds reallocated from the police budget, Austin 911 operators have begun testing a fourth triage option for mental health services as part of their script.

"Austin 9-1-1, do you need police, fire, EMS, or mental health services?" callers now hear when making an emergency call. Austin is believed to be the first city in the U.S. to offer the option, an added service that is an offshoot of continual reform on the local police department after officers' reactions to protesters in May and June of last year when some demonstrators were seriously hurt by non-lethal projectiles fired into crowds of protesters.

“Austin is leading the country in improving public safety and also protecting civil rights,” Austin City Council member Greg Casar said in a prepared statement. “For too long, we have expected our law enforcement to do the job of a social worker or mental health professional. We know our residents are safer when a behavioral health crisis is met with health care. We are able to set up mental health options at 911 because of our transformation of police budgets in response to Black Lives Matter.”

A 911 caller stating they require mental health services initiates an immediate transfer to an on-site mental health clinician or, if a clinician is unavailable, an immediate dispatch of a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) officer, officials explained. As part of a recent allocation of funds from the police budget, council members transferred some duties normally tasked by officers — dealing with the homeless or responding to calls involving residents in the throes of mental crises — to specialists better trained in certain areas.

Casar's work with colleagues toward a mental health response system predate's last year's protests, however, dating the fatal police shooting of David Joseph, who was unarmed and in crisis, in 2016. Casar suggested statistics on police behavior in Austin further fueled their resolve to reform local law enforcement. A 2018 City audit found that of the 15 largest cities in America, “APD has the highest per capita rate of fatal police shootings involving persons believed to be experiencing a mental health crisis.”

Law enforcement reform was further guided by a 2019, Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI) study with accompanying recommendations for first responder mental health calls for service. The “mental health” 911 option addresses the Institute’s recommendation for mental health integrated dispatch, Casar noted. Officials noted the option is currently in a test period and will have a full launch of the Call Center Triage Program scheduled for later this year.

Additional information about the “mental health” 911 option can be found in the memo titled Update Regarding Mental Health Diversion Initiative.