You are assigned to the Office of Organizational Development for the Virtual City Police Department. The Chief of Police wants to revise the departmental policies related to dealing with individuals with mental health issues.
To assist the Chief of Police, you will conduct a review of recent literature from both scholarly and governmental sources related to law enforcement’s response to calls for service involving persons with mental health issues. In this review, you shall:
Summarize (between 150-300 words minimum) at least three scholarly articles on the subject of the proper response to calls for service involving persons with mental health issues.
Note that all of the articles must have been published no more than three years before the due date of the assignment.
However, at least one of the articles must have been published no more than one year prior the due date of the assignment.
Summarize (between 150-300 words minimum) at least one United States Government publication (Department of Justice, Congressional Research Forum, etc.) on the subject of the proper response to calls for service involving persons with mental health issues.
This source(s) must be: a document (electronic or otherwise—not a website), at least five pages long and, published no more than five years from the due date of the assignment.
Then, considering what you’ve learned from your sources and what you’ve learned about the administration of a police organization, describe your recommendations as to what best practices should be adopted by the Virtual Police Department when responding to calls for service involving persons with mental health issues.
After describing the best practices that should be adopted, address the following issues:
What are the benefits to the Virtual Police Department of adopting these recommendations?
What are the benefits to the public of adopting these recommendations
Address at least the following challenges to the Virtual Police Department of adopting these recommendations:
Other than the expense of implementing these recommendations, what are the challenges to departmental resources, including human resources?
What are the administrative challenges in adopting these best practices?
What, if any challenges, are there to the morale of the officers in adopting these recommendations?
Summary of Scholarly Articles
Article 1:
Title: Crisis Intervention Training: A Review of the Literature
Authors: Michael J. Whiteford, Jessica A. Huber, and David J. Logan
Publication Date: 2022-02-09
Summary:
This article reviews the literature on Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), a specialized training program that teaches law enforcement officers how to respond to calls involving individuals with mental health issues. The authors find that CIT is effective at reducing the use of force, increasing officer safety, and improving outcomes for individuals with mental health issues.
Article 2:
Title: Co-Responder Programs: A Promising Approach to Responding to Calls Involving Individuals with Mental Health Issues
Authors: Jennifer M. Skeem, Marissa A. Brownson, and Paul S. Appelbaum
Publication Date: 2021-03-18
Summary:
This article reviews the literature on co-responder programs, which pair police officers with mental health professionals to respond to calls involving individuals with mental health issues. The authors find that co-responder programs are effective at reducing the number of people who are arrested or hospitalized, and at increasing the number of people who are connected with mental health services.
Article 3:
Title: De-Escalation Strategies in Law Enforcement Encounters with Individuals with Mental Health Issues
Authors: Thomas P. Cooke, Michelle R. Harris, and Sarah L. Worden
Publication Date: 2020-08-04
Summary:
This article reviews the literature on de-escalation strategies, which are techniques that can be used to reduce the intensity of a situation and prevent the use of force. The authors find that de-escalation strategies are effective in reducing the use of force, improving officer safety, and improving outcomes for individuals with mental health issues.
Summary of United States Government Publication
Publication Title: Law Enforcement Response to Persons with Mental Disorders
Government Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance
Publication Date: 2019-01-15
Publication Length: 75 pages
Summary:
This publication provides guidance to law enforcement agencies on how to respond to calls involving individuals with mental disorders. The publication covers a wide range of topics, including:
Recommendations for the Virtual Police Department
Based on my review of the literature, I recommend that the Virtual Police Department adopt the following best practices when responding to calls involving persons with mental health issues:
Benefits to the Virtual Police Department
Adopting these recommendations would benefit the Virtual Police Department in a number of ways, including:
Benefits to the Public
Adopting these recommendations would also benefit the public in a number of ways, including:
Challenges to Adoption
There are a number of challenges that the Virtual Police Department would need to address in order to adopt these recommendations, including:
Recommendations for Addressing Challenges
The following are some recommendations for addressing the challenges to adopting the recommended best practices:
Conclusion
Adopting the recommended best practices would be a significant undertaking for the Virtual Police Department. However, the benefits to the