An Austin lawmaker recently introduced a bill that would remove police from mental health emergency calls and replace them with paramedics.
AUSTIN, Texas — A state lawmaker in Austin has introduced a bill that would begin removing police officers from mental health emergency calls and shifting much of the responsibility to paramedics.
The initiative comes amid attention surrounding the recent conviction of Austin police officer Christopher Taylor, who fatally shot a man with a knife who was suffering from a mental health episode.
State Rep. Donna Howard did not cite the shooting incident involving Taylor as the impetus for the bill. Instead, she said she is focused on the goal of making sure people with mental health issues receive the best possible support.
“I think this is a very positive step in that law enforcement is no longer the primary responder when it comes to mental health calls,” said Michael Block, president of the Austin Police Association.
Days after Taylor was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to two years in prison in the shooting death of Maurice DeSilva, Bullock called for a change in police policies that prevent police officers from responding to mental health calls.
Austin police officials have rejected the idea, but efforts at the state Capitol could reduce the role of police in certain situations.
Howard’s bill would give emergency responders the power to seek emergency custody of people who are mentally ill and pose a threat to themselves or others.
“Paramedics often already have relationships with people in the community who are experiencing mental health issues,” Howard said.
Currently, in Texas, only police officers can detain people in mental health crises, and they are often called to such emergencies.
Under the proposed bill, a paramedic who detains a person must take the person to the nearest appropriate inpatient mental health facility or to a mental health facility “deemed appropriate by the mental health authority.” They must also submit a “Detention Notice” explaining why they believe the person should be detained.
Mr Howard said police officers could still play a role.
“They shouldn’t be the people providing most of that intervention. That’s not their expertise and they shouldn’t be doing it,” Howard said.
Block said such a move toward health care workers would allow police to prioritize their primary mission of public safety.
“My position is that law enforcement should not be first responders and that we have a responsibility to solve mental health crises when we are not and have never claimed to be experts.” “We should not be responsible for this,” he said.
The initiative appears to have support from both law enforcement and the paramedic community.
Howard said the sheriff’s association was the first to approach her about the idea. Serena See, president of the Austin-Travis County Paramedics Association, also said that health care workers have more advanced training than police on how to respond to these types of calls, and support their involvement in such calls. I agreed that it was.
