41O-Responding to the Mentally Ill 2019

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Policy & Procedure Page 1 of 11 Lexington Police Department Subject: Responding to the Mentally Ill Policy Number: 41O Accreditation Standards: Reference: 1.1.3; 41.2.7 Effective Date: 3/11/13  New  Revised Revision Dates: 1/24/19 By Order of: Mark J. Corr, Chief of Police The Municipal Police Institute, Inc. (MPI) is a private, nonprofit charitable affiliate of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association. MPI provides training and model policies and procedures for police agencies. This policy is an edited version of MPI Policy 1.16, “Handling the Mentally Ill.” GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS AND GUIDELINES Reaction to persons impacted by mental illness covers a wide range of human responses. People impacted by mental illness are ignored, laughed at, feared, pitied and often mistreated. Unlike the general public, however, a police officer cannot permit personal feelings to dictate his/her reaction to the mentally ill. His/her conduct must reflect a professional attitude and be guided by the fact that mental illness, standing alone, does not permit or require any particular police activity. Individual rights are not lost or diminished merely by virtue of a person's mental condition. These principles, as well as the following procedures, must guide an officer when his/her duties bring him/her in contact with a mentally ill person. Every year police officers are severely hurt or even killed when responding to calls involving behavioral health/mental illness. It is extremely important that officers are professional and cognizant of officer safety when handling these calls for service. It is the policy of the Lexington Police Department that:  Officers shall accord all persons, including those with mental illness, all the individual rights to which they are entitled; and  Officers shall attempt to protect mentally ill persons from harm and shall refer them to agencies or persons able to provide services where appropriate.