Mental Health Involvement in Police and Fire Calls for Service: Gresham, Oregon (2016–2017)

Problem

The Problem Addressed: 

The study aimed to analyze the frequency and resource demands of police and fire/emergency service (ES) calls for service (CFS) involving persons with mental illness (Pw/MI) or possible mental illness (Poss/MI). Current methodologies often underestimate the prevalence of mental health-related calls and their impact on public safety resources.

General impact on the system and/or public: 

Increased calls involving mental health strain public safety resources. Mental health crises often require more personnel, time, and specialized approaches, impacting overall public safety efficiency.
 

Research Questions:

1. Prevalence: What proportion of Gresham’s CFS involve mental illness?
2. Resource Use: Do mental health-related CFS demand more resources (time, personnel, units) than others?
3. Distribution: How are these calls distributed spatially and temporally compared to non-mental health-related calls?
4. Perceptions: What are officers' perceptions of mental health-related calls?
   
    

Method and Analysis

Program Evaluated or Gaps Addressed: 

The study examined the operational and resource impacts of mental health-related CFS, highlighting the need for better data and methodologies to quantify such calls accurately.
 

Data and Sample Size: 

• Police CFS: 148,169 records.
• Fire/ES CFS: 33,523 records.
• Additional data from surveys of 51 Gresham police officers.
   

Analysis Used:

The study employed five methods:

• Stratified random sample: Reviewed narratives for mental health keywords.
• CAD codes: Classified calls based on final case types.
• Mental health keywords: Automated classification using a logic model.
• Combined approach: Integrated CAD codes and keywords.
• Officer survey: Assessed perceptions and recent CFS.
   

Outcome

Key Findings:

Prevalence:

• Police CFS: 7.3%–11.8% involve Pw/MI or Poss/MI.
• Fire/ES CFS: 5.7%–10.5% involve mental health.

Resource use:

• Mental health-related CFS require significantly more time (43.9%–181.8% longer for police calls) and personnel (57.1%–63.2% more officers).
• Police calls with a mental health connection used 10.2%–23.4% of the agency's time; fire/ES calls accounted for 6.0%–10.5% of the agency's time.

Distribution:

• Hotspots for mental health-related calls were identified in the Rockwood and Central City neighborhoods.
• Temporal patterns showed peaks in mental health calls between 4:00 PM and 10:00 PM.

Officer perceptions:

• Officers estimated 58.3%–69.2% of their recent calls involved mental health issues.
• They highlighted resource strains and the need for improved Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training.
   

Implications or Recommendations: 

• Operational Planning: Use findings to allocate resources effectively and develop mental health-specific response strategies.
• Training: Expand and improve CIT training for law enforcement and ES personnel.
• Policy Changes: Invest in community-based mental health resources to reduce emergency service dependence.
• Data Accuracy: Employ integrated methodologies to better quantify mental health-related CFS for future planning.

This detailed examination underscores the substantial role mental health crises play in emergency services, emphasizing the need for systemic improvements to meet these challenges.