E tank
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San Francisco pilot program diverting SFPD from alcohol/drugs/mental health calls for assistance
Sweep up and incarcerate the dopers and bums. Use the old state hospitals.
Who does medical clearances then? We have a program here with a deputy and social worker, they either rely on the ambulance to evaluate the patient or assume that they're fine and do no medical assessment, which has led to some pretty serious issues with overdose patients.The idea of these teams is not new. They have existed for years if you look for them. Kern County has a MET Team (Mental Emergency Treatment I think). It's a county resource that responds to 911 and non 911 calls for service. They respond a Mental Social Worker and are dispatched by county sheriff.
I think the inclusion of a firefighter paramedic on the San Francisco team is absolutely ridiculous.
Where does it say that law enforcement won't be involved in this model?Those MET teams have an assigned Officer or have one respond. It’s a joke. These new teams are going to get their asses kicked and then dump it on the Police.
Sweep up and incarcerate the dopers and bums. Use the old state hospitals.
Who does medical clearances then? We have a program here with a deputy and social worker, they either rely on the ambulance to evaluate the patient or assume that they're fine and do no medical assessment, which has led to some pretty serious issues with overdose patients.
Unfortunately our county program has had issues with patients becoming unstable on the way to a hospital for a med clearance. Had some sort of medical assessment been completed prior to transport, this would not have happened and the team would not have to sit on the side of the road for a long time awaiting an ambulance.In cases where emergency treatment is required or medical transport is needed They will request an ambulance. however if they just need medical clearance prior to being admitted to an inpatient psychiatric facility, the MET Team will transport to the county hospital.
Where does it say that law enforcement won't be involved in this model?
Sure but the article doesn't mention changing law enforcement response at all. Seems a bit premature to say that the crews are going to get assaulted...Unfortunately, I think the motivation here is less a more efficient response to a chronic and expensive problem than it is a political gesture, and therefore poorly thought out and perhaps inefficient. It's coming out of an initiative to move resources away from the police and so the idea is to take the cops out of these types of calls.
The reality is that the cops will end up going to a lot of these calls, tho not all of them just like they don't go to a lot of them now. A lot of these patients will end up needing an ambulance anyway, but at least a lot of them that would have gone by ambulance won't now. I see this helping the ems way more than the cops even tho the police budget is where this is coming from.
Right...they don't have any less or more chance of encountering a potentially violent patient...but this is part of the 'defund' or really, re-allocate police resources sentiment. That is defined by an intention to not send police to these calls. And it's San Francisco. That what has happened in Portland and Seattle has not happened there is surprising to me.Sure but the article doesn't mention changing law enforcement response at all. Seems a bit premature to say that the crews are going to get assaulted...
Most of our behavioral health responses are referrals from law enforcement and I don't see that changing any time soon.
If patrol officers are already on scene I don't really see the use of PD running these teams and providing dedicated officers, it does not provide that much help over a "regular" cop in my experience.Right...they don't have any less or more chance of encountering a potentially violent patient...but this is part of the 'defund' or really, re-allocate police resources sentiment. That is defined by an intention to not send police to these calls. And it's San Francisco. That what has happened in Portland and Seattle has not happened there is surprising to me.
I think we agree...but thats the intention of this pilot program...to not involve the police at all right from the dispatched call. And there is no police presence on these teams.If patrol officers are already on scene I don't really see the use of PD running these teams and providing dedicated officers, it does not provide that much help over a "regular" cop in my experience.
We shall see how this goes. Everyone always seems to think these teams will always be busy with "direct referrals," most agencies find this to not be the case.I think we agree...but thats the intention of this pilot program...to not involve the police at all right from the dispatched call. And there is no police presence on these teams.