comment: >
  
  I'm in favor of this. EOD's save lives. I've been EOD'd and it was exactly where I  needed to be because I was on a path that would have led to me being incarcerated or dead. It saved my life.
context: Adams said it was a myth that first responders can only involuntarily commit those who displayed an “overt act” showing they may be suicidal, violent or a danger to others, CNN previously reported. Instead, he said the law allowed first responders to involuntarily commit those who cannot meet their own “basic human needs” – a lower bar.
  
  So is there going to be more funding for mental health treatment or are the people just going to be locked in a cell and increase the police's resentment towards the mentally ill by forcing them into the role of healthcare providers and spending their budget on holding the mentally ill until an actual treatment center has an 'bed' for them? >
  
  We absolutely need quality long term psychiatric facilities across the United States. >
  
  We do, and we're unwilling to pay for them. That's a brick wall that hasn't budged in decades.
  Law enforcement has been saying for over twenty years that it is a problem that we can't arrest our way out of. 
  Most of the state "charity" hospitals are gone, thanks to the Republicans' beloved privatization. Private hospitals don't want these patients. It's too hard to get the state to reimburse them. >
  
  I was in downtown Los Angeles today and there was a barefoot woman, completely out of it, and the only help she was getting was a security guard gently ushering her away from where the market was. Let's just start the dystopian movie already >
  
  Downtown L.A. IS the dystopian movie. >
  
  The entire county of LA* >
  
  There's probably a quote about repeating history in this, but I'm too bitter and tired of the horror to bother. This is a knockoff of one of the worst things perpetrated by America in this past century, without even a sliver of redeeming value, because on top of that they couldn't bother to even figure out what to do past the assault and kidnapping.
  All ignoring of course that even the lower level of this was already abused. >
  
  I thought there was a Supreme Court decision that you can’t force them into a hospital. >
  
  Just to share my experience (though note, I don't live in New York) - I have someone in my family with Bipolar, primarily they suffer from psychosis manic-type when they cycle. She refuses to take medicine. The part of her brain that determines reality is completely broken when she's manic. In our area, we have like the 'regular' police, but when you call to get her evaluated to be committed (when you can tell she's about to 'pop'), you have to request a 'crisis' officer. These officers are trained to recognize mental illness, and how they need to handle those suffering from it, how to de-escalate, etc. I have only ever experienced (and heard, when unable to be present) great things from those officers - they have only ever helped and not made it worse. I was so grateful for their help. I live in a southern state, so knowing these officers were available was kind of surprising to be honest, but I was glad to know they are available. Maybe New York has crisis officers too, and if so, I could see how they could be called to assist in cases like this (I'm not sure if they do or not though). The thing is, the people who have to be involuntarily committed like this (like my family member), they are often repeats (in and out of hospitals because they refuse to stay medicated), and the officers come to know who those people are, what symptoms they exhibit that show they're spiraling, etc. If we had waited for the officers to commit my family member until after committing an 'act', that literally would have been good for nobody. Thankfully they're able to assess a person's judgement here (similar to how this directive sounds). There's more that can be done in these situations, but it usually involves the courts determining they can't take care of themselves, supported by medical documentation. Usually a family member or social worker would manage their affairs, and if they are found to be off medication, they can be readmitted involuntarily. Unfortunately, there is usually so much red tape between doctors and the courts, very few families find themselves able to get through the whole process to get their family member stable care through a conservatorship. >
  
  Thanks for sharing this. This is really good to know - particularly about requesting a "crisis officer". 
  It just feels that too often, a person having an episode is simply looked at as dangerous by cops. >
  
  The problem really is lack of training. I am extremely sympathetic to people who suffer with mental illness - I've had my own issues with it, not to the extent that my family member has experienced it though. The unfortunate truth that most people are either ignorant of or choose to ignore due to political correctness is that while most mental illness episodes are benign (no immediate danger), people who experience paranoid psychosis sometimes WILL exhibit dangerous behavior, such as wielding a weapon, threatening people, or being domineering/violent with other people or themselves, and the scary part is since they are literally in another reality, oftentimes in order to get them committed safely, officers kind of have to 'humor' their delusion so they can de-escalate. Trained officers ARE necessary in these types of cases, as they are the ones most equipped to deal with it by force, if necessary, and if it has to come to that. I'm sure they don't necessarily want to do that, but again, it is sometimes necessary. >
  
  I know this is an unpopular opinion, and it goes against a lot of our shared concerns about it possibly being abused, but I think until we come up with a better idea, we need to help people who cannot do basic care for themselves. It could clean up the streets and help people.
  ...including a substantially increased likelihood that they will be subjected to unlawful detention and involuntary hospitalization just for exhibiting behavior perceived by a police officer to be unusual – whether the individual has a mental disability or not,” That is scary.
  It seems like mental health professionals should be involved early on though.
  I know, I know... people hate this idea. Go ahead, let me have it. >
  
  
  I know, I know... people hate this idea. Go ahead, let me have it.
  
  You suggest that we need to help people and then list a clear-cut reason why this won't do that. A better idea could be to increase funding for mental health initiatives and care, improve our safety nets, and not involve police in these situations as they've shown time and time again they are not well suited to this whatsoever. They seemingly possess no concept of de-escalation and clearly have biases ingrained in their culture. >
  
  I'm not happy with the amount of time I've spent defending the police lately but I'll paste what I wrote in another thread: 
  "You're talking about 660,000 US police officers based on the actions of the very worst few hundred of them." >
  
  Nope. I’m judging them based on a continued system of oppressive behavior that dates back to the founding of this country and continues to this day under the color of law. I’m not judging the individual I’m judging the entirety of their collective actions and participation in it. >
  
  Bottom line is we need a combined approach to caring for the mentally ill and homeless. If they are a threat to themselves or others it’s not an anyone’s interest to ignore.  Freedom to create a public health or safety problem and limit intervention. Sounds like a recipe for a lot community safety and health problems. >
  
  The issue here for me is that NYC seems to be expanding the definition of threat to include anyone who is homeless and has a history or symptoms of mental illness.  In most states, there is a requirement for the individual to be a clear and present danger to themselves or others.
  I’m interested to see how this initiative works out.  How long will people be held for treatment?  What will be offered for housing and on-going mental health treatment or will people be dumped back onto the street after they are deemed mentally well?  
  Without on-going assistance and treatment, nobody is going to be cured of homelessness through a two week hospitalization alone. >
  
  From another angle, this gives the police the power to label any person they dislike for any reason as potentially "mentally ill." Remember the Occupy Wall Street protesters? Mentally ill, the lot of them. This is the threat posed by laws like this. The law says one thing but really means another.