CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When someone calls 911 for an emergency, police departments are now tasked with figuring out how to respond if the call is centered around a mental health crisis. Police departments across North Carolina are increasing a focus on mental health awareness by changing the way they respond to mental health calls.
World Mental Health Day was observed October 10, 2022. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department tweeted that it responded to 111 mental health-related calls for service in just the past week. In 2019, CMPD created an entire team dedicated to mental health crises.
CMPD is not alone in how it addresses calls for mental health service. The city of Durham, North Carolina, recently launched the Holistic Empathetic Assistance Response Team (HEART). It is staffed with crisis response clinicians who are trained in assessing mental health situations so those who call 911 can get the proper help they need. Just like EMS, HEART can respond to a call in the field as well.
The Raleigh Police Department has established the Addressing Crises through Outreach, Referrals, Networking and Service (ACORNS) Unit. The ACORNS team helps police officers on calls involving people in need of mental health intervention. The ACORNS team does not provide diagnoses, counseling or healthcare.
The police department in the city of Wilmington, North Carolina has been working with mental health counselors for more than 5 years. The police department is working with RHA Health Services. If police determine they need their expertise, they will dispatch a mobile crisis team to the scene.
