- Thousands of Minnesotans call 911 each day for a variety of calls, not all of which require armed police. At times, an armed officer can escalate the situation.
- To reform this system, jurisdictions across the US have introduced alternative forms of 911-response that focus on handling behavioral health and non-emergency calls.
- In 2021, Minnesota passed Travis’ Law, which required mental health crisis response teams to be dispatched by 911 for mental health calls when available.
- Unfortunately, insufficient funding, inadequate geographic coverage, and current norms have led to poor enforcement of this policy.*
- The state of Minnesota must work to audit, expand, and support these programs across the state.**
Sources
*Sec. 403.03 MN Statutes. (2022). Mn.gov. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/403.03
Orenstein, W. (2021, December 20). What one Greater Minnesota city’s experience says about the state’s efforts to integrate mental health and police work … MinnPost. https://www.minnpost.com/greater-minnesota/2021/12/what-one-greater-minnesota-citys-experience-says-about-the-states-efforts-to-integrate-mental-health-and-police-work/
**City of Minneapolis. (2020). Behavioral Health Response. Minneapolismn.gov. https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/programs-initiatives/community-safety/focus-areas/alternatives-police-response/behavioral-health-response-teams/
Community-First Response. (2021). Saint Paul Minnesota. https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/neighborhood-safety/community-first-response
