In an effort to protect the safety of people going through mental health crises, law enforcement and others, the city of San Francisco said last week it is forming a five-member mental health team to accompany police officers responding to calls involving people who may be mentally ill or under the influence of drugs, according to a report from California Today.
"This is the latest reform that prioritizes the sanctity of life above all else," Mayor Ed Lee said in a statement, according to the report.
The goal is to allow highly trained clinicians to try to pacify individuals in need of mental health services and avoid deadly police confrontations that have occurred in California and around the nation.
Under the reform, police would assess whether it is safe for the mental health team members — who are unarmed — to approach a subject. Barbara Garcia, director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, said the collaboration between the police and mental health clinicians would enable the mental health professionals to identify opportunities for intervention that the police might otherwise miss, according to the report.