New Police Program To Address Mental Health, Drug Emergencies

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — A new pilot program in Loudoun County will dedicate one deputy per shift to respond to mental health and drug-related emergencies, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. The new program is part of the sheriff's office Community Assistance Response and Empowerment (C.A.R.E) team.

"As part of the C.A.R.E. Team, our deputies will conduct follow-ups to ensure families have adequate resources, services, and support,” Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman said. Trained deputies will focus on mental health, suicide, and overdose calls, according to the sheriff's office.

Police are often called to assist with mental health emergencies, and consequences are often tragic. In 2016, one quarter of all fatal police shootings involved people who had behavioral health or substance abuse conditions, according to Mental Health America.

Crisis intervention training programs are designed to connect people in need with mental health services, and avoid confrontations with police departments. "The goal of the C.A.R.E. Team is to increase the safety at the scene for everyone - the person in crisis, the deputies, and our community members," the sheriff's office said in a news release.

Still, many mental health advocates would prefer that police weren't involved at all in mental health emergencies. Mental Health America, an organization dedicated to destigmatizing and protecting people with mental illnesses, believe alternatives should be available to completely avoid police involvement. Several alternative programs were outlined in 2014 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration.

Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman believes his deputies, with crisis intervention training, will be able to connect residents with needed services. "By drawing upon each deputy’s crisis intervention training skills and combining the expertise of our mental health professionals in Loudoun County, the team can link a person experiencing a behavioral crisis to the appropriate services," he said.

The sheriff's office claimed the new program, in addition to its longstanding crisis intervention training for deputies, will reduce injuries to deputies and people experiencing crises.