Mental health calls #1 drain on Berkeley police resources

Berkeleyside ^ | 4/16/2015 | Frances Dinkelspiel

[mac_truck]

Responding to people with mental health issues is the number one drain on police resources in Berkeley, a police officer who specializes in the topic said this week.

Nationally, 10% of police calls are for people having a mental health crisis, according to Berkeley Police Officer Jeff Shannon. In Berkeley, that number is 35% or more. Over the past five years, police have seen a 43% increase in calls for “5150s,” or people who are a danger to themselves or others, he said.

“Not only in Berkeley, but across the nation, we are experiencing a mental health crisis,” Shannon told members of the Berkeley Safe Neighborhoods Committee on Monday. “We are seeing way more people who are sick, way more people who are in crisis, who need help, than we have capacity.”

The committee, which meets monthly with top police officials at department headquarters, asked for the report about the mentally ill homeless population in the downtown area. The request was prompted by an incident last month when a homeless woman attacked a commuter as he was walking into the downtown Berkeley BART station. The woman, who was mentally ill and was living in the station, jumped on the man’s back and hit him over the head.

The report, delivered to some of Berkeley’s most involved citizens, appeared to shock and dismay everyone in the room.

“I had no idea [the problem] is as big as it is,” said former Mayor Shirley Dean, the chair of the committee.

[mac_truck]

Proof that liberalism really IS a mental disorder.

[Wiz-Nerd]

5-1-5-0 Someone Call The PoPo. :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa9Y0Hlrlbs

[tcrlaf]

“Mental health calls #1 drain on Berkeley police resources”

In Berkeley.
Hmmm...
Cannot imagine why....

[dp0622]

Get out of my head!!!

[aquila48]

And Berkeley has more per square foot than any other place.

[ExCTCitizen]

You need to be crazy to live in Berkeley!!!

[combat_boots]

Beat me to that comment.

[SandRat]

Self descibing

[faithhopecharity]

In Bezerkeley, most of the “more respectable” people are crazy as looney birds on LSD. This article then discusses the thousands of “street citizens” who are even nuttier than the average UC professor Impossible you say? Well, it ain’t easy that’s fer sure, ha! But go visit Bezerkekey and you’ll see the Nutz of the Nutz (a literary reference to “the West of the West, San Fransicko).

[RetiredTexasVet]

“The report, delivered to some of Berkeley’s most involved citizens, appeared to shock and dismay everyone in the room.”

And I’m sure the first thing out of “some of Berkeley’s most involved citizens” was “TAX, more TAX, it’s a crisis that requires more public employees and more TAX, ..........

[Verginius Rufus]

Many years ago Berkeley was called “the open ward.” I was once told that mental patients were released to Berkeley because it was believed that they could adjust to the real world (outside an institution) more easily there.

[Carry_Okie]

I would not at all be surprised if it is worse in Santa Cruz.

[TurboZamboni]

Berzerkley

[Rocky]

I guess Nancy Pelosi’s back in town.

[CyberAnt]

Absolutely ..!!!!

And .. where else is drugs/liberalism the most prevalent ..??

[PieterCasparzen]

Berserkly.

Yet another NWO school. Really, they all are. But the names that are nationally known are certainly the bigtime NWO “facilities”.

[PA Engineer]

Just sharing a story.

Many years ago my wife was finishing up her residency in psychiatry and neurology.

We had a humble place in Pittsburgh close to the hospitals and we heard some noises outside our apartment (no ac, very humble place). I looked out and an elderly women kept shaking my wife's car (chevy citation. the most engineered american car for the time. G*d help us). I called my wife over and we watched the women for a few minutes. She kept staring at the back window. We looked at each other a bit puzzled. Finally figured it out. It was her reflection. We started laughing when my wife said it could be one of her patients (it wasn't).

I asked if we should call the police. She was hesitant at first and said let's wait. The women walked over to the neighboring complex. It was hot and sunny and they had a nice porch. Didn't think much of it. Checked a few minutes later when we started to hear her scream. My Wife started to groan.

Ok. I called the police. I wait and wait. Finally a dispatcher (no 911 then) answers and asks the nature of the problem. I tell her there is a crazy old women on the building porch next door. I'm an engineer. Let's cut to the chase. Just the facts. Darn if the dispatcher sarcastically didn't asked me if I was a doctor to make that diagnosis. Here was the beauty of the moment. I answered no, but my wife is and sitting next to me and she is. The dispatcher pauses and asks me if I want to 302 her. 302? WTF? Ask the wife. Oh no!

My Wife is one of the most peaceful human beings on the planet. Gandhi doesn't hold a torch to her. Out of no where deep in bowels of an abused resident came a guttural scream. No F****N Way! Get you butts out here! She had just gotten off call. I looked out the window at that moment and conveyed the latest news. The elderly women was ripping open the apartment mail on the porch.

There was no pause this time. "A unit is on route!"

I'm looking out the window at a crazy women and looking back at a very angry Wife. What is a 302? Blurted answer. Oh. You would have to go in. Wife storming out of the room.

Three minutes later a wagon showed up. The officer told us she was a frequent flyer and had escaped.