Mental health pros will respond to some 911 crisis calls in new NYC pilot program
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Advocates from VOCAL-NY and Assemblymember Catalina Cruz (left) joined Peggy Herrera (second from left) at Queens Criminal Court Oct. 11, 2019 for a rally calling on the city to reform approaches to 911 calls for people experiencing emotional disturbances. File photo courtesy of VOCAL-NY
By David Brand
Starting in February 2021, trained mental health professionals will begin responding to some 911 calls involving individuals experiencing mental health crises in New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday.
The pilot program will dispatch teams of mental health experts and FDNY EMS workers instead of the police to crisis calls — long a goal of advocates for people with mental illness. The initiative is modeled off alternative-to-police response programs in Eugene, Oregon and some other cities.
“One in five New Yorkers struggle with a mental health condition. Now, more than ever, we must do everything we can to reach those people before crisis strikes,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Cops will continue to respond to mental health calls considered dangerous, but in many cases they will be joined or superseded by mental health pros. Police are often the first on the scene for mental health crisis calls — formerly known as “emotionally disturbed person,” or EDP calls — but their presence can exacerbate a situation by scaring or aggravating a person in the midst of a crisis.
Police are not social workers and receive limited crisis intervention training.
“Mental illness is not a crime, but we call upon the police as first responders in a mental health crisis,” said Linda Rosenberg, a social worker and professor at the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry and a former CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health.Now, New York City is changing the outdated and dangerous use of police that too often has led to injury and even death.”
Numerous New Yorkers have died after police officers responded to the crisis calls, including several high-profile incidents. Police shot and killed a Brooklyn man in 2016 after his mother called 911 seeking help because he was acting erratically, for example. Another man died inside his Bronx apartment after police tasered him in 2015.
One 2019 Queens case illustrates other problems that can arise when NYPD officers with respond to crisis calls.
Jamaica resident Peggy Herrera called 911 in August 2019 to seek help for her son Justin who was experiencing a mental health episode.
By the time police arrived, Justin had calmed down, Herrera said, but NYPD policy mandated that they enter the home. Officers arrested Herrera when she tried to prevent them from entering. Officers said she physically blocked them. She denies she used her body. Either way, she was charged with obstruction of governmental administration until Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz dropped the case in March.
“On that day, my son needed a social worker, not uniformed officers with guns,” Herrera told the Eagle last year. “On that day we needed to remove stigma and utilize compassion.”
The number of mental health crisis calls has continued to grow across New York City.
There were 31,701 EDP calls made across Queens in 2018, compared to 23,185 in 2014, according to data obtained by THE CITY in March. The NYPD recorded 179,569 total EDP calls citywide in 2018.
The head of the union representing FDNY EMS workers said they are willing to begin negotiations to provide the crisis response training, but want additional concessions from the city to ensure members remain safe.
“It is clear New York City is facing a mental health crisis,” said FDNY EMS Local 2507 President Oren Barzilay, adding that many workers are paid a barely living wage to respond to dangerous situations.
”We must have a full seat and voice at the table, along with significant discussions about safety and security for our members, as well as fair compensation for the new and extraordinary risks they are being asked to take.”
