Dispatching mental health specialists instead of police lowered crime: study

A new study from a team of Stanford researchers examined the potential for dispatching mental health specialists for nonviolent emergencies instead of police officers. They piloted a 911 response program in Denver for six months, during which there was a 34 percent drop in crime rates. 

The paper published in Science Advances goes into detail about the intervention, which occurred during 2020. They established the Support Team Assistance Response (STAR) program, inspired by a similar program in Eugene, Ore., called Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets program. 

The STAR program operated in eight neighborhoods in Denver, several that were also categorized by the city government as “displacement-vulnerable.” Operators responding to 911 calls dispatched STAR staff for eligible calls starting June 1, 2020. For the call to qualify, the incident needed to have at least one of the following: calls for assistance, intoxication, suicidal series, welfare checks, indecent exposure, trespass of an unwanted person and syringe disposal. There also needed to be indication that there were no weapons, threats or violence involved, and there were no serious medical needs. The STAR staff responded to 748 incidents over the six-month period. 

In neighborhoods that were part of the program, the researchers estimate that STAR-related offenses dropped by 34 percent and prevented an estimated 1,400 criminal offenses in the eight participating precincts. These include fewer citations of public intoxication and other low-level infractions. Repeat offenders were also more likely to get the help that they needed.  

“The community-response program has two benefits,” said Thomas Dee, the Barnett Family Professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), in a press release. “One, it directs people in crisis to appropriate mental health care instead of directing them to the criminal justice system. Two, it prevents future criminal activity because the people who are now receiving mental health care are not committing more offenses.” 

The team also estimated that the direct costs for each interaction was $151 on average, which is lower than the average of $646 direct cost for minor criminal offenses. Although follow-up costs are not included, this could still indicate that their approach is overall cost-saving. 

The results are promising, although the authors said more trials and studies are needed.

“We provide strong, credible evidence that providing mental health support in targeted, nonviolent emergencies can result in a huge reduction in less serious crimes without increasing violent crimes,” said Dee. “I would also argue that it’s simply about doing the right thing. People in mental-health crises need appropriate health care and they are simply less likely to get that when we direct them to the criminal justice system.” 

Other cities have tested programs for alternative emergency responses, some that involve law enforcement and some that don’t. Some approaches may provide training for police officers to be able to direct people to mental health resources, while others may pair officers with mental health specialists. The approach used in this study is less common, where in some cases police officers are not dispatched at all. 

The Stanford team hopes that this study paves the way for more studies to show the benefits of sending specialized mental health professionals into nonviolent situations. In light of how often sending police officers into nonviolent situations actually leads to violence, this alternative approach could be important to consider as part of police reform.

Dee said, “The concern was that maybe simply training police to manage behavioral-health crises wasn’t working.” 

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