45158905.pdf

\n\n--- Page 1 ---\n\nTITLE ACCREDITATION Mental Health and Crisis Intervention CALEA 41.2.7.a.b.c.d.e Response Formerly titled “Social Service and Treatment PRIOR REVISIONS Programs” 06/04/09; 05/12/2020 PROPONENT UNIT Mental Health Team ATTACHMENT: None NUMBER ISSUE DATE REVISION DATE TOTAL PAGES 1.7 07/01/01 05/21/2021 23 I. PURPOSE: The purpose of this Order is to establish general guidelines for the recognition and appropriate response to individuals with mental, emotional, and/or physical disabilities or illnesses, including those who are complainants, victims, witnesses, suspects, arrestees, and people seeking information. These guidelines attempt to ensure quality of service and protection of rights in accordance with the provisions of the FSS 394 Florida Mental Health Act, formerly known as the Baker Act, FSS 397 Alcohol and Other Drug Services Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. II. DISCUSSION: Responding to individuals with mental, emotional, and/or physical disabilities or illnesses has become more prevalent in law enforcement calls for service. Law enforcement officers are generally the first responders to encounter individuals in times of crisis. With this knowledge, it is imperative that law enforcement officers be skillfully compassionate and properly educated on the signs and symptoms of mental, emotional, and physical disabilities and illness. Safety for all is paramount. Crisis intervention, de-escalation, and diversion are the preferred methods when encountering individuals in crisis however; this is only achieved once the scene is safe for everyone. Unless otherwise certified, most agency members are not medical personnel or mental health clinicians. We strive to educate ourselves on crisis intervention and de- escalation with the preservation of life as our primary focus. Each interaction with citizens should be conducted with professionalism and objectivity to protect their rights and dignity. Agency members must recognize that some disabilities may resemble substance abuse or impairment. For example, someone with diabetes, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, or hearing impairments may exhibit traits that look like symptoms of substance abuse or impairment. When it has been determined that a mental or 1\n\n--- Page 2 ---\n\nphysical disability is involved, agency members should make every effort possible to reassure the individual that the Gainesville Police Department’s role is to assist them. Due to the nature of these calls for service and the needs of the individual, agency personnel may find it necessary to utilize resources from community care partners such as the Alachua County Crisis Center, Meridian Behavioral Healthcare, or Malcolm Randall VA Medical Center to assist individuals in crisis. Procedures in this policy were designed with the safety of the public, agency members, health care professionals, and individuals who may have a mental, emotional, and/or physical disability or illness at the forefront. Proper response and recognition of individuals in crisis and/or living with mental illness or disability can increase agency legitimacy and effectiveness as well as aid in the preservation of life. III. POLICY: It shall be the policy of the Gainesville Police Department to afford individuals with mental, emotional, and/or physical disabilities or illnesses the same rights, dignity, and access to programs and services provided to all citizens. IV. DEFINITIONS: A. Addictions Receiving Facility: Is a secure, acute care facility that provides, at a minimum, detoxification and stabilization services; is operated 24 hours per day, 7 days per week; and is designated by DCF to serve individuals found to be substance use impaired as described in FSS 397.675 who meet the placement criteria for this component. B. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Is not a mental illness. It is a complex developmental disability. There is no single known cause for ASD, but it is generally accepted that it is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function. Citation: Autism Society of America website: www.autism-society.org C. Baker Act: A provision of Florida State Statute 394 which allows a law enforcement officer to take a person who is an immediate threat to him/herself or others to a receiving facility to be involuntarily examined for mental illness. Also known as the Florida Mental Health Act. D. Crisis: An emotionally significant event or radical change of status in a person’s life. An unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending. A situation that has reached a critical phase. Citation: Merriam- Webster online https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crisis E. Crisis Intervention Team (CIT): A community partnership of law enforcement, mental health and addiction professionals, individuals who live with mental illness and/or addiction disorders, their families, and other advocates. It is an innovative first-responder model of police-based crisis intervention training to help persons 2\n\n--- Page 3 ---\n\nwith mental disorders and/or addictions access medical treatment rather than place them in the criminal justice system due to illness-related behaviors. It also promotes officer safety and the safety of the individual in crisis. Citation: CIT International www.citinternational.org F. CIT Core Committee: CIT trained agency members who are actively involved and have obtained additional crisis intervention training (satisfied by CIT International Conference, MHT recommendation and CIT training) and have been recognized by our community partners (including Alachua County Crisis Center, DCF, and Meridian Behavioral Healthcare) as highly skilled in utilizing the CIT techniques. G. Dementia: A general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. Memory loss is an example. Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia. Dementia is caused by damage to brain cells. This damage interferes with the ability of the brain cells to communicate with each other. When brain cells cannot communicate normally, thinking, behavior, and feelings are affected. Citation: Alzheimer’s Association website: www.alz.org H. Designated Receiving Facility: A facility approved by the department which may be a public or private hospital, crisis stabilization unit, or addictions receiving facility; which provides, at a minimum, emergency screening, evaluation, and short-term stabilization for mental health or substance abuse disorders; and which may have an agreement with a corresponding facility for transportation and services. This term does not include a county jail. Citation: FSS 394.455 (12) Crisis Stabilization Units must always be available to accept persons for evaluation. I. Express and Informed Consent: Consent voluntarily given in writing, by a competent person, after sufficient explanation and disclosure of the subject matter involved to enable the person to make a knowing and willful decision without any element of force, fraud, deceit, duress, or other form of constraint or coercion. Citation: FSS 394.455 (15) J. Incompetent to consent to treatment: A state in which a person’s judgment is so affected by a mental illness or a substance abuse impairment that he or she lacks the capacity to make a well-reasoned, willful, and knowing decision concerning his or her medical, mental health, or substance abuse treatment. Citation: FSS 394.455 (21) K. Marchman Act: A provision of Florida State Statute 397 that allows a person to be taken into protective custody for involuntary admission if there is a good faith reason to believe the person is substance abuse impaired and because of such impairment they have lost the power of self-control with respect to substance use; and either has inflicted or threatened or attempted to inflict, or unless admitted is 3\n\n--- Page 4 ---\n\nlikely to inflict, physical harm on him/herself or another; or is in need of substance abuse service