Amid the failures of deinstitutionalization — a decades-long push to treat people with mental illness in the community rather than in mental institutions — police officers have increasingly assumed the role of first responders to psychiatric emergencies; law enforcement agencies across the country are grappling with how to manage this responsibility.

One approach has been to provide police with more training, such as in how to recognize signs of mental illness, techniques for crisis de-escalation and ways to connect individuals with mental-health resources. Another approach involves partnering with mental-health professionals such as social workers.

Psychiatrist Nils Rosenbaum, right, with police officer Andrew LeHocky in Albuquerque. (Matthew Tinney) 

As medical doctors, psychiatrists are highly qualified experts for handling individuals with mental illness; however, it’s rare to see a psychiatrist working in a police department.

What if psychiatrists worked on the front lines with police?

In Albuquerque, Nils Rosenbaum has been doing just that since 2007, conducting what he has called “street-level psychiatry.” Rosenbaum’s roles have included educating police officers about mental-health issues, conducting psychiatric assessments in the field and serving as a liaison between law enforcement and the mental-health system.

“For me, it’s a no-brainer,” Rosenbaum told me. “This is where the illness is. This is where psychiatry should be.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/police-encounter-many-people-with-mental-health-crises-could-psychiatrists-help/2018/07/20/20561c26-7484-11e8-b4b7-308400242c2e_story.html