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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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