On its face, the Portland Police Department's annual report shows
that the number of police calls for people with behavioral health
problems quadrupled last year over 2010.
But police officials say the new total is a more accurate
reflection of the number of times police were summoned to deal with
people who had mental health problems and were committing crimes or
causing some type of disturbance.
"We know from an anecdotal standpoint that we deal with a lot of
behavioral health calls for service," said Police Chief Michael
Sauschuck. But only a fraction of those calls are logged as such.
"There are other times when a call may come in as a burglary or a
person bothering or disorderly conduct, when it really is a behavioral
health call," Sauschuck said. "We wanted to dig in and come up with a
more accurate number."
Accurate data can help the department better assign its personnel and
influence the mental health resources available in a community. Pat McKenzie, vice president for adult mental health at Opportunity
Alliance, which provides mental health and other services in Cumberland
County, said recognizing when mental health plays a role in criminal
behavior can improve chances for treatment that can prevent the behavior
in the future. The 2011 crime statistics show 1,653 calls relating to behavioral
health, a sharp increase from the year before. That increase occurred
largely because emergency dispatchers are authorized to log calls as
mental health-related if they have dealt with the person involved
previously and know of the person's mental health history.
The higher numbers may also reflect the growing number of people in
mental health crisis because of the downturn in the economy, say mental
health advocates. Portland police assigned a staff person with a mental health
background to read each report from 2011 -- a total of 85,000 calls for
service -- to determine how many involved mental health issues. That
added 1,457 behavioral health calls. Another 201 were flagged as mental
health calls after the fact by responding officers. The total of 3,311
represents 4 percent of all police calls for service.
"I believe the numbers are still low, given the sheer volume of
interactions we have on a daily basis with individuals in mental health
crisis," Sauschuck said. "We would love to have a set of data we can
actual compare year to year so we can narrow this down."
The behavioral health calls for service are often nuisance
complaints, but sometimes are more serious calls. In either case, they
take time to resolve. McKenzie, of Opportunity Alliance, said she was
not surprised by the numbers. The agency's crisis hotline gets 50,000
calls a year. It's understandable that a fraction of those people with
behavioral health symptoms would attract police attention.
"When you're in trouble in our communities, there are a few places
people go. The number we all call is, of course, 911," she said. "Who is
out there for the first line of defense? Our police."
Opportunity Alliance has had a long relationship with Portland police
and provides a liaison who responds along with officers to help them
deal with people in mental health crisis. That formed the basis for Portland police becoming a national model
for how to approach people with mental illness. Almost every officer is
trained in crisis intervention. The department also employs a mental health coordinator, partially
grant-funded, who oversees three interns pursuing master's degrees.
The officer training and five staff members working on mental health
issues helped to make Portland one of six places the Department of
Justice and the Council of State Governments designated as a learning
site to benefit other departments.
The calls for service that involve behavioral health issues can be
analyzed to determine when and where such calls are most common.
"In a world of constantly shrinking resources, having the proper
information helps us allocate resources appropriately," Sauschuck said.