By CalMatters Staff

“Mental illness is not a crime” has become a rallying cry for improving the treatment of people in crisis. As the health care podcast Tradeoffs explained last year in its special three-part series “The Fifth Branch,” more than 100 communities across the U.S. now send mental health experts instead of armed police to certain 911 calls.

Now, a handful of sheriff’s departments in California have started refusing to respond to some 911 calls that involve mental health issues. The most prominent official involved is Sacramento Sheriff Jim Cooper, who announced in February that, going forward, his deputies would only respond to mental health calls if a crime had been committed or was in process, or if someone other than the person in crisis was in imminent danger.

“We wear the badge, we carry the gun,” Cooper said at his press conference announcing the new policy. “We deal with crime, not mental health crises.”

Veteran journalist Lee Romney has covered mental health issues in California for nearly 25 years and witnessed the growing consensus that police should be less involved in mental health crises. Lee was shocked by Cooper’s announcement.

“It seemed like he was throwing the baby out with the bathwater,” Lee told Tradeoffs. “Law enforcement is recognizing that things go better for them when they collaborate with clinicians, with paramedics. I think he’s just taken it a step beyond.”

Lee wrote about the new policy for CalMatters. She talked with Cooper and other law enforcement leaders, along with family members of people with severe mental illness.

You can listen to the full conversation with Lee below or read the transcript on Tradeoffs. It includes the powerful story of a scared mother who felt abandoned when her teenage daughter was in crisis and Sacramento deputies refused to respond.

Here are a few takeaways from Tradeoffs’ conversation with Lee:

  • Lee says Sheriff Cooper’s decision to pull back on mental health calls was motivated in part by concerns over legal liability. Cooper has cited a recent federal court ruling that held two Las Vegas police officers liable for killing a mentally ill man in 2019. But other legal experts say Cooper’s concern is misplaced. They say cops still have legal protections when answering mental health calls.
  • At least a handful of sheriff’s departments are following Sacramento’s lead. “I think that they are trying to make a point,” Lee said of these departments. “They’re trying to force a broader conversation and say, ‘Hey, it’s not our job to fix the mental health crisis problem.’ ”
  • Critics — including lawmakers, firefighters and community members — worry Cooper’s policy will put civilians and first responders at risk. But Lee says some mental health advocates are cheering the move. Cooper’s decision, they say, has pushed Sacramento to increase its efforts to come up with better ways to respond to mental health crises without sending the police.