tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post5963573821034351225..comments2024-03-25T20:06:39.794-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: Policing the mentally ill: Crisis intervention teamsGritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-11432872178461797102012-09-29T08:06:12.397-05:002012-09-29T08:06:12.397-05:00Sounds like the PD is trying to avoid situations l...Sounds like the PD is trying to avoid situations like the one in Houston, and training in mental health issues will help. However, I agree with Anonymous that the process via MHMR does take a long time and often beds are not available at ASH, so the person may have to go to SASH or another State Hospital. This means the officers have to take them. Treatment is the better option than jail, but treatment in a State Hospital costs the taxpayers more money. I think ASH is $400 a night now. You can look up the costs since it is a State facility. I work in a related fieldAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-22263103593431826642012-09-28T12:14:09.606-05:002012-09-28T12:14:09.606-05:00Well, this is a good start. But I sure hope that t...Well, this is a good start. But I sure hope that they fix the system first so that they wouldn't have to do cover-ups on how rotten it is.Christoffer Eldrichhttp://www.askaccidentlawyers.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-77102345433798484422012-09-28T11:46:22.556-05:002012-09-28T11:46:22.556-05:0010:03, I don't have any rose colored glasses o...10:03, I don't have any rose colored glasses on this, and the killing of the MH amputee shows there are still issues, but the deployment of MHMR workers along with crisis intervention teams is a lot closer to best practices even than Austin's recently improved policy. Many of the incidents you cite happened inside the jail, fwiw, not on the streets.Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-79820178995845080532012-09-28T10:03:56.057-05:002012-09-28T10:03:56.057-05:00Don't be too impressed with that article about...Don't be too impressed with that article about the Harris County Sheriff's specialized training. There are still more murders committed by badged thugs in the Harris County Jail than all other county jails in the USA.<br /><br />http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Grand-jury-declines-to-issue-charges-in-death-of-2170610.php<br /><br />http://www.chron.com/news/falkenberg/article/Too-many-questions-in-inmate-s-death-2146706.php<br /><br />http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Six-years-101-deaths-in-Harris-County-jails-1545025.phpAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-46007222547329103812012-09-28T09:39:29.449-05:002012-09-28T09:39:29.449-05:00There's definitely room for improvement in APD...There's definitely room for improvement in APD practices (which are not always the same as their procedures) for dealing with the mentally ill. Also important to note, though, is the fact that the local mental health authorities often inefficient and unhelpful when officers try to have MH suspects admitted to psych facilities. The process can take hours, and officers end up pulled of the streets, sitting in a waiting room while keeping an eye on a mentally ill person for a very long time, waiting to see if the person will be admitted to services. Then, once the person is seen, the mental health providers may or may not elect to provide services for the person, anyway. The officer, after a long wait, might end up having little other option than to bring the person to jail. All of this leads to situations where officers simply get frustrated with the process and make arrests instead of dealing with the inefficiency of Austin's mental health providers. Once the person is in the jail, they become someone else's problem. mental health admissions need to become more streamlined for officers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com