Should mental health professionals, instead of police, respond to some 911 calls? A ballot measure in November would ask some Chicago voters. – Chicago Tribune*

The referendum would ask if Chicago should reopen all the closed mental health clinics that were operated by the public health department, as well as whether the city should support a team of mental health professionals to be dispatched to mental health emergency calls instead of police. Residents in the 6th, 20th and 33rd wards would receive the question, which is nonbinding, on their ballots.
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The Paraclete
3 years ago

Why not have the mental health experts ride the CTA?

GM
3 years ago
Reply to  The Paraclete

Or they could be deployed at the Evanston Public Library. Was there the other day, the lovely facility is now mainly used with disruptive homeless people… they bring all of their filthy stuff in, destroy the bathrooms, etc. But hey, it’s Evanston, and Evanston is all about “equity”…

Truth Seeker
3 years ago

Many Mental Health “Experts” need their own Mental Health. What has happened to this Country?

Dharma not Greg
3 years ago
Reply to  Truth Seeker

I once had the top guy of a collar county mental health dept tell me that most of their mental health experts suffered from the same problems as their clients, only they think they are superior because they have or are working on that Masters degree. I believe him.

Truth Seeker
3 years ago

That is 100% spot on. Hence my earlier comment.

Dharma not Greg
3 years ago

Sure, give it a try. Do not dispatch CPD to the same location, because it might upset the EDP that the mental health expert is calming down. If the mental health expert calls for CPD backup a slow roll response would be in order to give the expert plenty of quality time to soothe the EDP. When a few of the experts are hauled away from dispatched assignments in body bags, maybe the miserable leadership of Chicgo will have a better appreciation for the great professionals of the CPD

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