Viewpoint: Amid a national mental health crisis, let's invest in policing
The "Defund the Police” cries, fueled by the Black Lives Matter movement and national partisan politics, following a summer of unrest after the death of George Floyd, have become a faint echo of a call that many of us wish had never happened. Depending on whom you ask, the nature and scope of “defunding” varies but an almost universal definition is one that would see the stripping of funding and resources from police departments to other community social services. With the passing of time, politicians and activists have mostly abandoned the call. But that cry will return, raising a shrill whenever another police-involved use of force incident occurs.
It is often the case that the best quarterback is the one that performs off the field of play on a Monday morning. The same is true regarding solutions to these unending tragedies, especially when victims are known to have been suffering with some form of mental impairment. Then, magically, every member of society transforms into the leading expert in conflict resolution, intervention and crisis de-escalation. And we are quick to raise the banner to defund.
There is a lot that society does not know or understand about community policing, and it is my intention to offer a few facts with this opinion piece. Law enforcement is neither the leading nor the only function for police officers. Crime comprises less than 20% of all police engagement throughout the history of American policing. Data shows that police officers serve more within the function of responding to mental health crises, medical emergencies, substance use, victims of crimes, homelessness, personal disputes, and other social problems that otherwise require the attention of social service experts. Some studies suggest that 50 percent to 90 percent of an officer’s daily duties are social service-related. In this regard, police officers are society’s default, yet amateur, social workers, minus the training.
Next steps:Community meeting expected to discuss mental health crisis units in South Bend
There’s a disconnect between what society envisions, demands and expects of law enforcement and what it invests in resources to ensure successful community policing. If communities are serious about reforming the way policing is conducted, there must be a new vision for public safety which takes into consideration the fact that society and the nature of our problems are evolving and so should our understanding and approach. Mental health is the new battle frontier, and we need collaboration between the police and communities for a unified community policing. But the atmosphere is so poisoned such that there is so much mistrust between communities and law enforcement, hence the defund movement. We must understand that the call itself is not a moment but a movement that cannot be ignored into oblivion.
Recent results of a survey concluded that most people (90 percent) believe that the United States is experiencing a mental health crisis. However, that admission is not matched by the efforts to intervene in the growing crisis. Rather, there have been calls to siphon from law enforcement budgets and fund social and mental health services. Any proposed solution that seeks to defund the police does not understand the inseparable intersection between mental health and policing.
As a social worker, I would not be comfortable responding to any mental health call in the absence of a police officer, and I am yet to meet one who would. We must invest in policing as alternative dispute and conflict resolution, mediation and negotiation. We must seek alternative engagements to effective policing. We must be willing to understand the dynamics, challenges and opportunities of policing within the various communities we serve. We must continue the trend of embedding social workers within local police forces.
St. Joseph County Sheriff William Redman has led in that regard with the creation of the Crisis Services Unit, which currently has two social workers specializing in mental health and addictions, domestic violence and sexual assault, and human trafficking. I believe that led to a large part, to his reelection as sheriff.
Viewpoint:Taking a proactive approach to the mental health crisis in our community
Time has seemingly managed to mute the amplified voices calling for “defunding,” for now. But there’s a growing chorus emerging, and it is but a matter of time before we are confronted by a youthful posse spurred on by blind passion. They are motivated and pushed by shifting sociocultural landscapes within an environment suffering from the onslaught of substance use, a mental health crisis and a pandemic that still threatens our global symbiosis. The time to act is now, and it is never too late to start these conversations within our homes, in schools, places of worship, social clubs and places of work. Let us change our attitudes towards law enforcement, let us invest more funding into programs that enhance community policing and let us develop a culture that promotes civil dialogue over the most difficult challenges we face.
Henry Mudari is a mental health social worker with the St. Joseph County Police Department Crisis Services Unit.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Police officers are society’s default, yet amateur, social workers.
