Police-mental health partnerships and persons with severe mental illness: An exploratory study of perceived risk and use of force

Abstract

There is a need to maximize understanding of conditions under which officers are most likely to use lethal force when interacting with persons with severe mental illness (SMI) and whether utilization of a mental health professional (MHP) serves to reduce use of force (UoF) severity. Using a mixed methods concurrent triangulation design framework, this exploratory study examined UoF with individuals exhibiting signs of psychosis and whether police-MHP partnerships decrease UoF severity. Findings indicate officers use more severe forms of force with armed individuals displaying signs of psychosis and that MHP presence did not reduce force severity in such cases. Qualitative themes provide context for these findings and include (1) concerns for MHP safety, (2) planned collaborations support safety, and (3) MHPs support de-escalation. Discussion highlights a need for increased officer education on SMI, appropriate de-escalation strategies, co-created engagement/disengagement protocols for MHPs, and defined standards of practice for police-mental health collaborations.