EUGENE, Ore. — The Eugene Police Department is making a series of changes to improve its response to people in a mental health crisis.
The department has directed supervisors not to interrupt if a person in crisis is talking with a counselor or other mental health professional, unless circumstances dictate intervention by police, The Register-Guard reported.
The department also wants officers to work with mental health professionals to de-escalate a crisis. That includes deploying crisis negotiators even on lower-level calls, with a minimum of two negotiators called out if possible. Currently, negotiators are typically dispatched when the SWAT team is called out in dangerous situations.
The department also began requiring supervisors to track and report the deployment of armored vehicles, because in some cases their use can increase the anxiety of the person in crisis, said Police Chief Pete Kerns.
