Police and Mental Health Interactions

What happens when the first responder isn't the right responder?

In moments of personal crisis—when someone is experiencing a mental health emergency—the first point of contact is often not a trained therapist, nurse, or social worker. It’s the police.

And that’s a problem.

Across Canada, police officers respond to thousands of mental health-related calls each year. Many of these situations involve no crime, no weapon, and no threat—just a person in need. Yet outcomes can be tragic when the system isn’t built for care. Some calls end in escalation. Some end in force. Some end in death.

The Current Landscape

• In many jurisdictions, police lack specialized training to handle mental health crises.
• Mental health services are often underfunded or inaccessible, especially after hours.
• People experiencing mental health issues may be reluctant to call for help, knowing that police—not clinicians—will show up.
• Incarceration rates are disproportionately high for those with mental illness.

Several cities have launched co-response or civilian-led teams (such as CAHOOTS in the U.S. or Toronto’s MCIT), blending social work with public safety—but coverage remains limited.

A Crisis of Mismatch

Mental illness isn’t a crime. But our response to it often plays out through a criminal justice lens. Officers are trained to control, not care. They carry tasers, not trauma-informed therapy tools.

So what happens when a person in crisis can’t be de-escalated with words? What happens when fear—on either side—turns into force?

And perhaps more importantly: what should happen instead?

Questions for Consideration

• Should mental health calls be diverted away from police entirely?
• Can we design 24/7 civilian mental health response teams that are as trusted—and available—as 911?
• What training should officers receive to better respond to mental health crises?
• How do we ensure safety for both responders and individuals in crisis?
• What role do systemic inequities play in how these interactions unfold—especially for marginalized communities?

Towards a Health-First Model

Rethinking these interactions isn’t anti-police—it’s pro-care. It’s about ensuring that every emergency gets the right response. That means building systems that prioritize:

• Trauma-informed care
• Mobile crisis units
• Peer-led support teams
• Non-police intervention lines

Mental health crises aren’t criminal—they’re human. And how we respond to them says a lot about what kind of society we are.

It’s time we talked about what safety really looks like—for everyone involved.