Mental health clinicians will start
answering some 911 calls in Chicago
— instead of cops
Chicago Sun-Times,
by
David Struett
&
Tom Schuba
Original Article
Posted By: AltaD,
7/14/2021 8:23:11 AM
For the first time in Chicago, some 911 calls for mental health emergencies won’t be answered by police officers but by mental health professionals paired with paramedics.
In one pilot program starting this fall, a paramedic will be dispatched with a mental health clinician for “behavioral health calls.” In another, a paramedic will work with a “recovery specialist” on calls involving substance abuse.
Mental health clinicians will be on hand at the 911 center to monitor situations (Snip) Before the pilots begin, however, the city will staff two ambulances each with a police officer trained in crisis intervention, a paramedic and a mental health clinician.
Hmmph. Those weekend murder/shooting stats will jump methinks. What could go wrong?
14 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
czechlist 7/14/2021 8:43:19 AM (No. 845327)
who will be liable when a mental health emergency responder is "wounded or killed in action"?
28 people like this.
Problem solved!
10 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
red1066 7/14/2021 8:54:11 AM (No. 845346)
When the bullets are flying, there is nothing more reassuring as hearing, "This is 911. What is your mental emergency?"
13 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Ida Lou Pino 7/14/2021 9:00:56 AM (No. 845352)
Caller: "Help! A crazed man with a machete is trying to break in my door!"
Social Worker: "Have you tried interpreting his dreams?"
26 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
bighambone 7/14/2021 9:14:57 AM (No. 845367)
What could go wrong?
3 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Jethro bo 7/14/2021 9:17:00 AM (No. 845368)
Christians enter the coliseum had better odds.
18 people like this.
Isn't it funny how stories from The Onion or the Babylon Bee actually come to pass in our society?
18 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
reefdiver 7/14/2021 9:35:06 AM (No. 845390)
OK, replace the Mayor's security detail with these clinicians and see how long that lasts.
19 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
qr4j 7/14/2021 9:36:16 AM (No. 845394)
I honestly hope this improves the situation in Chicago. I have serious doubts that it will. I would prefer violent situations not become more violent. I would prefer that police would not be pressured to use firearms, but I don't oppose it when necessary.
Let's just stop the killing. Please. We are human beings, made in the image and likeness of God. We need to act like it.
3 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
Californian 7/14/2021 9:54:04 AM (No. 845418)
IF this was set up properly then we'd see people who specialize in drug over doses handling drug over dose calls, for example, which would free up cops for the ferals and freaks.
But, it's Chicago. They'll screw it up. This will only make things worse.
4 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
mobyclik 7/14/2021 9:57:58 AM (No. 845421)
Do I have this correct: Some agitated mental goon is going to attack a cop armed with pepper spray, Taser and a 40 caliber semi-auto, but will sit down with some social worker and have a polite conservation about his state of mind. Is that how it works?
I hear Utopia is pleasant this time of year.
12 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
Lawsy0 7/14/2021 9:58:45 AM (No. 845422)
So a thug stole your purse and knocked you to the ground? Call your therapist.
6 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
smcchk 7/14/2021 10:06:01 AM (No. 845437)
I pray so too, #10. There is a place for mental health professionals, especially in these times when the mentally ill are given back to the care of their families who often have to deal with very disruptive and dangerous behavior. A little police backup with them might be nice though. It really is time to have a mental health treatment discussion in this country.
2 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
jhpeters2 7/14/2021 10:14:29 AM (No. 845449)
This outta be fun. Ready? Set. Roll Cameras!
1 person likes this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
Son of Grady 7/14/2021 10:22:23 AM (No. 845458)
The angle they're going for is there will be 2 kinds of crime.
1_ Black crimes will be categorized as "mental illness" temporary of course.
2_ White crimes will be "White supremacy"
They are attempting to reason and tamp down that the majority of all crime is
committed by african americans
7 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
hershey 7/14/2021 10:25:08 AM (No. 845462)
Ha ha..better give them kevlar underwear...they're gonna need it... heyjackass.com for the latest stats...
3 people like this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
DVC 7/14/2021 10:30:22 AM (No. 845473)
More people will die, of course.
3 people like this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
Clinger 7/14/2021 10:40:09 AM (No. 845484)
I completely agree that mental health is a factor in the creation of dangerous situations that result in calls to 911. I also believe that blown master cylinders result in dangerous motor vehicle conditions. I don't go straight from careening down an embankment to checking the master cylinder. When I go to the emergency room with blood spurting from my femoral artery I want direct pressure and perhaps a tourniquet upstream of the leak. At that very moment I'm not at all concerned with the root cause.
So how do calls get routed to the shrink, at random? Do we think the caller the victim needs a shrink or the person who endangered them? How does connecting the caller to said shrink in any way help the situation. Hey Mr. knife wielding chap, I called 911 and they want me to put you on the line if you don't mind,
2 people like this.
Reply 20 - Posted by:
Norway 7/14/2021 11:28:11 AM (No. 845532)
"Social workers are great, they said. They can handle anything, they said." (what could go wrong?)
2 people like this.
Reply 21 - Posted by:
mc squared 7/14/2021 11:35:04 AM (No. 845539)
You might be surprised at the number of mothers who call 911 because their chile' locked the bedroom door and won't go to school. Cops as baby sitters and disciplinarians. What a waste of resources.
But if they send that guy, Alex Heaton, everyone will lock themselves in their bedrooms.
0 people like this.
Reply 22 - Posted by:
Luandir 7/14/2021 11:46:52 AM (No. 845556)
How many dead clinicians before they go back to sending cops?
3 people like this.
Reply 23 - Posted by:
bad-hair 7/14/2021 11:57:30 AM (No. 845571)
And who will decide whether to send a shrink or he cops ???
A unionized "911 ... what's your emergency ...
Sure thing Chicago.
1 person likes this.
Reply 24 - Posted by:
MickTurn 7/14/2021 12:35:22 PM (No. 845623)
Hmmm, It seems that old saying "When Seconds Count, Cops are Minutes Away" is now, "When Seconds Count, your Mental Health experts are days away, and if your life is being threatened, too bad, we're busy with Mental Health cases!"
0 people like this.
Reply 25 - Posted by:
stablemoney 7/14/2021 12:51:52 PM (No. 845654)
When you don't send a cop, you force the victim to escalate their responses. The left expects victims to acquiesce and die.
0 people like this.
Reply 26 - Posted by:
DVC 7/14/2021 2:23:25 PM (No. 845778)
Yes, some (many?) folks who interact with the police are mentally ill. No doubt about it. Just look at Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden, but I digress.
Mentally ill people can be exceptionally dangerous, some are capable of detailed, thoughtful planning of violent attacks, or instantly switching from a calm discussion to sticking a knife in your heart. It's because they are crazy.
Mentally ill is NOT the same as 'harmless', not even remotely.
Much like the other favorite excuse from lefty dingbats, 'unarmed'.....which is definitely NOT 'harmless'. Between 1/4th and 1/3rd of homicides are committed by unarmed people. They just beat, kick and stomp people to death, no other weapons required.
1 person likes this.
Reply 27 - Posted by:
anniebc 7/14/2021 2:43:23 PM (No. 845799)
Lawsuits.
1 person likes this.
Reply 28 - Posted by:
Strike3 7/14/2021 3:27:29 PM (No. 845848)
"Hello, 911, what is your emergency?
"Somebody just broke into my house - he's trying to rape me!"
"How do you feel about that?"
"What the hell do you mean, he's trying to rape me. I'm locked in the bathroom!"
"Is this a rape-rape attempt or is this a relationship gone wrong, resulting in violence?"
"What difference does it make? He's breaking the damn door down?"
"So it's also a case of breaking and entering, would you like to speak to the illegal entry specialist first or do you want the rape counseling specialist?"
"I want the damned police, now!"
"We no longer provide that service ma'am, would you like to speak to a supervisor?"
"Eeeeeaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!"
4 people like this.
Reply 29 - Posted by:
skacmar 7/14/2021 3:40:51 PM (No. 845861)
Thank you for calling 911. Press 1 to speak to a mental health clinician. Press 2 to speak to a social worker. Press 3 to speak to a paramedic, Press 4 to speak to a police officer. Press 5 for any other emergency. Otherwise please hold for the next available 911 guide who will help you to determine the best 911 operator to assist you with your 911 emergency needs. Once you finally get put through to the appropriate 911 operator: All 911 operators are busy helping others, your call is very important to us, please hold and your call will be answered in the order they were received. You are currently caller number 7.
4 people like this.
Reply 30 - Posted by:
udanja99 7/14/2021 7:07:44 PM (No. 846024)
Sounds like all of the mental health clinicians are suicidal.
1 person likes this.
Reply 31 - Posted by:
Old Army Vet 7/14/2021 10:54:51 PM (No. 846149)
The idea is to stop the killing and maiming in Chicago, not make it worse. Someone, some people are going to get hurt or killed. I wonder who came up with this hairbrained idea.
1 person likes this.
HeyJackass.com is going to need a new category to track for this: # of Social Workers Clipped. Will be as entertaining to watch as the Shot-In-The-Junk-O-Meter.
This should make 900 kills plus a slam dunk for the year.
0 people like this.
Reply 33 - Posted by:
Geoman 7/15/2021 1:06:55 AM (No. 846234)
The city would probably have to contract with Lloyds of London to cover the insurance.
1 person likes this.
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