The current proposal lays out a partnership with Edgewater Health in Gary. Becky Hanscom, of the Interfaith Action Network, has said the team would also partner with local rehabilitation centers and shelters.
“When you put people in a police car — although sometimes it is definitely warranted — it is demeaning to the person, and it criminalizes them,” Hanscom has said.
In Austin, Texas, 911 dispatchers started asking callers if they need police, fire, Emergency Medical Services or mental health services. In 2021 the added option was able to divert 3,564 calls away from police response. Over the summer, Gary Police Chief Brian Evans said officers answer some 1,400 service calls every week.
The mobile mental health unit will not only lighten the load for the police, it will also help deescalate volatile situations. According to a database kept by the Washington Post, 21% of the over 7,000 people fatally shot by police in the US since 2015 had a mental illness.
The database shows that of the 141 people fatally shot by police in Indiana since 2015, 36 had a mental illness.
Without a mental health response team, residents who see people in crisis are faced with a difficult dilemma: “Do I call the police and maybe something worse happens? Or I do nothing and then I don’t know what’s going to happen?” Michaela Spangenberg told the council during the Wednesday meeting. “Having something that’s simple and streamlined gives people peace of mind, and it helps our neighborhoods and our communities be safe for everybody.”
Hanscom has said most of the $1.5 million will go towards staffing, although the size of the team has not been finalized. Councilwoman Tai Adkins, D-4th, said she would like to see an implementation plan included when the $1.5 million is actually allocated.
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