SLS 22RS-567 ORIGINAL 2022 Regular Session SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 58 BY SENATOR JACKSON BEHAVIORAL HEALTH. Creates a task force to study the implementation of a partnership between law enforcement agencies and behavioral health providers. 1 A RESOLUTION 2 To create a task force to study the implementation of a partnership between law enforcement 3 agencies and behavioral health providers to reduce or eliminate incidents of law 4 enforcement officers responding to nonviolent calls or behavioral or social crises in 5 which no crime has taken place. 6 WHEREAS, law enforcement officers spend a considerable amount of their time 7 responding to low-priority 911 calls related to quality-of-life issues or social service needs; 8 and 9 WHEREAS, many of these calls for service could be safely resolved by trained 10 civilians experienced in finding long-term solutions to the root causes of community 11 concerns; and 12 WHEREAS, law enforcement officers who respond to mental health crises may not 13 be trained to communicate with the person in crisis or nearby community and family 14 members; and 15 WHEREAS, the Center for American Progress (CAP) and the Law Enforcement 16 Action Partnership (LEAP) propose that cities establish a new branch of civilian first 17 responders known as "community responders", who would be dispatched in response to calls 18 for service that often do not need a police response; and Page 1 of 6 SR NO. 58 SLS 22RS-567 ORIGINAL 1 WHEREAS, dispatching civilians in lieu of law enforcement officers can reduce 2 unnecessary police responses and help prevent unjust arrests and uses of force, which 3 disproportionately affect people with behavioral health disorders and disabilities; and 4 WHEREAS, it would also free up law enforcement resources, allowing officers to 5 spend more time on key tasks such as addressing serious crime and building proactive 6 relationships with communities; and 7 WHEREAS, in an analysis of 911 data from five American cities, CAP and LEAP 8 found that twenty-three to forty-five percent of calls for service were for less urgent or 9 noncriminal issues such as noise complaints, disorderly conduct, wellness checks, or 10 behavioral health concerns; and 11 WHEREAS, according to a recent CAP and LEAP report, across eight American 12 cities, community responders could have responded to between twenty-one and thirty-eight 13 percent of 911 calls, and an additional thirteen to thirty-three percent of calls could be 14 resolved administratively without dispatching an officer; and 15 WHEREAS, a number of cities have already implemented civilian first response 16 programs that incorporate elements of the community responder model; and 17 WHEREAS, community responders would be dispatched in response to two specific 18 categories of calls: 19 (1) Behavioral health and social service calls. Community responders trained as 20 paramedics, clinicians, or crisis intervention specialists could respond to lower-risk 911 calls 21 related to mental health, addiction, and homelessness, and also include peer navigators 22 whose personal experiences with behavioral health and social service needs can help build 23 bridges with individuals involved in these 911 calls; and 24 (2) Quality of life and conflict calls. Community responders could be dispatched to 25 911 calls for nuisance complaints and nonviolent conflicts, which may include reports of 26 suspicious people, youth behavioral issues, trespassing, and even simple assaults that do not 27 involve weapons; community responders who respond to these calls should be professionals 28 with deep connections to the community and extensive training in conflict mediation; and 29 WHEREAS, the purpose of this partnership is to reduce incidents of injuries related 30 to mental health emergencies while reducing the incarceration of the mentally ill; and Page 2 of 6 SR NO. 58 SLS 22RS-567 ORIGINAL 1 WHEREAS, it is appropriate to study the feasibility and implementation of this 2 partnership in Louisiana. 3 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana 4 hereby creates a task force within the Louisiana Department of Health to study the 5 implementation of a partnership between law enforcement agencies and behavioral health 6 providers to reduce or eliminate incidents of law enforcement officers responding to 7 nonviolent calls or behavioral or social crises in which no crime is reported. 8 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall be composed of the 9 following members: 10 (1) The state senator for Senate District 34. 11 (2) A representative of the Louisiana Department of Health, office of behavioral 12 health, designated by the secretary of the department. 13 (3) A representative of the governor's office of disability affairs, as designated by the 14 governor. 15 (4) A representative of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) - Louisiana 16 Chapter and a patient advocate for mental health, designated by the president of the chapter. 17 (5) A representative of the Louisiana Psychological Association, as designated by the 18 president of the association. 19 (6) A representative of the Capital Area Human Services and a patient advocate for 20 mental health, designated by the chair of the board of directors. 21 (7) A representative of the Louisiana Association of Chiefs of Police, designated by 22 the president of the association. 23 (8) A representative of the Louisiana Sheriffs' Association, designated by the 24 president of the association. 25 (9) A representative of Louisiana State University-Shreveport, designated by the 26 chancellor of the university. 27 (10) A representative of Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport - Monroe Medical Center, 28 designated by the chief executive officer of the medical center. 29 (11) A representative of Louisiana Children's Medical Center, designated by the chief 30 executive officer of the medical center. Page 3 of 6 SR NO. 58 SLS 22RS-567 ORIGINAL 1 (12) A representative of Louisiana's Mental Health Advocacy Service and a patient 2 advocate for mental health, designated by the chief of the board of trustees of the agency. 3 (13) A representative of the Tulane University School of Social Work, to be 4 designated by the dean of the school of social work. 5 (14) A representative of the Louisiana Fraternal Order of Police, to be designated by 6 the president of the organization. 7 (15) A representative of the Louisiana Ambulance Alliance, to be designated by the 8 chief executive officer of the organization. 9 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall be chaired by the state 10 senator for Senate District 34, and may elect a vice chair and other officers as determined 11 to be necessary. 12 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the names of the members chosen, designated, 13 or elected as provided herein shall be submitted to the Department of Health, office of 14 behavioral health, by August 15, 2022. 15 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall hold its organizational 16 meeting not later than October 1, 2022, on the call of the chair, and at the organizational 17 meeting, the task force shall elect any other officers as it finds necessary and shall adopt 18 rules for its own procedure. 19 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a majority of the total membership shall 20 constitute a quorum of the task force and any official action by the task force shall require 21 an affirmative vote of a majority of the quorum present and voting. 22 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health, office of behavioral 23 health, shall provide staff support to the task force. 24 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall submit a written report of 25 its findings and recommendations to the Senate no later than March 31, 2023. 26 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the 27 secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, the governor's office of disability affairs, 28 the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) - Louisiana Chapter, the Louisiana 29 Psychological Association, the Capital Area Human Services District, the Louisiana 30 Association of Chiefs of Police, the Louisiana Sheriffs' Association, the chancellor of Page 4 of 6 SR NO. 58 SLS 22RS-567 ORIGINAL 1 Louisiana State University Shreveport, the chief executive officer of Ochsner LSU Health 2 Shreveport - Monroe Medical Center, the chief executive officer of Louisiana Children's 3 Medical Center, the chair of the board of trustees of Louisiana's Mental Health Advocacy 4 Service, the dean of the Tulane University School of Social Work, the president of the 5 Louisiana Fraternal Order of Police, and the chief executive officer of the Louisiana 6 Ambulance Alliance. The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Whitney Kauffeld. DIGEST SR 58 Original 2022 Regular Session Jackson Creates a task force within the La. Dept. of Health to study the implementation of a partnership between law enforcement agencies and behavioral health providers to reduce or eliminate incidents of law enforcement officers responding to nonviolent calls or behavioral or social crises in which no crime is reported. Provides that the task force be composed of the following: (1)The state senator for Senate District 34. (2)A representative of the La. Department of Health, office of behavioral health, designated by the secretary of the department. (3)A representative of the governor's office of disability affairs, as designated by the governor. (4)A representative of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) - Louisiana Chapter and a patient advocate for mental health, designated by the president of the chapter. (5)A representative of the La. Psychological Association, as designated by the president of the association. (6)A representative of the Capital Area Human Services District and a patient advocate for mental health, designated by the dean of the board of directors. (7)A representative of the La. Association of Chiefs of Police, designated by the president of the association. (8)A representative of the La. Sheriffs' Association, designated by the president of the association. (9)A representative of LSU Shreveport, designated by the chancellor of the university. (10)A representative of Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport - Monroe Medical Center, designated by the chief executive officer of the medical center. (11)A representative of Louisiana Children's Medical Center, to be designated by the chief executive officer of the medical center. (12)A representative of Louisiana's Mental Health Advocacy Service and a patient Page 5 of 6 SR NO. 58 SLS 22RS-567 ORIGINAL advocate for mental health, designated by the chief of the board of trustees of the agency. (13)A representative of the Tulane University School of Social Work, to be designated by the dean of the school of social work. (14)A representative of the Louisiana Fraternal Order of Police, to be designated by the president of the organization. (15)A representative of the Louisiana Ambulance Alliance, to be designated by the chief executive officer of the organization. The task force will be chaired by the state senator for Senate District 34 and the task force may elect a vice chair and other officers it deems necessary. The names of the members of the task force must be submitted to the Department of Health, office of behavioral health, by August 15, 2022. The task force must hold its organizational meeting not later than October 1, 2022, and the task force should elect any other officers as it finds necessary and shall adopt rules for its own procedure at this meeting. A majority of the total membership constitutes a quorum of the task force and any official action by the task force requires an affirmative vote of a majority of the quorum present and voting. The task force will have staff support from the Dept. of Health, office of behavioral health. Requires that the task force submit a written report to the Senate no later than March 31, 2023. Page 6 of 6