New Arizona law may help mentally ill
May 09, 2014
Arizona has enacted a law that expands police power to take people into psychiatric custody. The law, endorsed by both law enforcement and human service organizations, allows officers to consider the statements of witnesses in evaluating whether a person’s behavior constitutes a danger to him/herself or others. Before the law’s passage, police were required to personally observe such behavior in order to take into custody a person who had not committed a crime. Emily Jenkins, president and CEO of the Arizona Council of Human Service Providers, said “It is important that (officers) be able to treat this situation…They can use their professional judgment as to whether the witness complaining about the behavior is credible.” Police have observed that often the arrival of an officer prompts people to contain their behavior temporarily, so the observations of witnesses can be helpful in making an accurate determination of danger. A person taken into custody due to a mental health crisis is brought to a psychiatric facility for stabilization, evaluation, and referral to treatment. If a doctor determines that the person is neither in danger nor a threat to others, s/he is released. Jenkins and other mental health professionals in the state believe the law will help more people receive treatment.
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