2022 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 58
BY SENATOR JACKSON
A RESOLUTION
To create a task force to study the implementation of a partnership between law enforcement
agencies, behavioral health providers, and hospitals to reduce or eliminate incidents
of law enforcement officers responding to nonviolent calls or behavioral or social
crises in which no crime has taken place.
WHEREAS, law enforcement officers spend a considerable amount of their time
responding to low-priority 911 calls related to quality-of-life issues or social service needs;
and
WHEREAS, many of these calls for service could be safely resolved by trained
civilians experienced in finding long-term solutions to the root causes of community
concerns; and
WHEREAS, law enforcement officers who respond to mental health crises may not
be trained to communicate with the person in crisis or nearby community and family
members; and
WHEREAS, there are behavioral health specific responses and services designed in
association with a comprehensive crisis system of care that is modern, innovative, and
coordinated; and
WHEREAS, a statewide model for crisis response that maintains regional and
geographic relevance and builds upon the unique and varied strengths, resources, and needs
of Louisiana's individual communities will reduce and divert from both law enforcement
response and reliance on hospitals for crisis treatment as the default provider; and
WHEREAS, such a crisis response system encompasses a continuum of services that
includes crisis prevention, acute intervention, and post-crisis recovery services and supports;
provides interventions to divert individuals from institutional levels of care including
inpatient placements, emergency department utilization, nursing facility placement, and
other out-of-home settings; and provides timely access to a range of acute crisis responses,
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including locally available home- and community-based services and mobile crisis response,
resulting in a crisis continuum that includes and respects a bed-based crisis service but does
not rely on that level of service as the foundation of the crisis continuum; and
WHEREAS, nationally accepted best practices include Mobile Crisis Response
(MCR), a community-based response intended to provide relief, resolution, and intervention
to individuals where they are located through crisis supports and services during the first
phase of a crisis in the community and Community Brief Crisis Support (CBCS), an ongoing
crisis intervention response designed to provide relief, resolution, and intervention through
maintaining the member at home or in the community, de-escalating behavioral health needs,
referring for treatment needs, and coordinating with local providers; and
WHEREAS, the Center for American Progress (CAP) and the Law Enforcement
Action Partnership (LEAP) propose that cities establish a new branch of civilian first
responders known as "community responders", who would be dispatched in response to calls
for service that often do not need a police response; and
WHEREAS, dispatching civilians in lieu of law enforcement officers can reduce
unnecessary police responses and help prevent unjust arrests and uses of force, which
disproportionately affect people with behavioral health disorders and disabilities; and
WHEREAS, it would also free up law enforcement resources, allowing officers to
spend more time on key tasks such as addressing serious crime and building proactive
relationships with communities; and
WHEREAS, in an analysis of 911 data from five American cities, CAP and LEAP
found that twenty-three to forty-five percent of calls for service were for less urgent or
noncriminal issues such as noise complaints, disorderly conduct, wellness checks, or
behavioral health concerns; and
WHEREAS, according to a recent CAP and LEAP report, across eight American
cities, community responders could have responded to between twenty-one and thirty-eight
percent of 911 calls, and an additional thirteen to thirty-three percent of calls could be
resolved administratively without dispatching an officer; and
WHEREAS, a number of cities have already implemented civilian first response
programs that incorporate elements of the community responder model; and
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WHEREAS, community responders would be dispatched in response to two specific
categories of calls:
(1) Behavioral health and social service calls. Community responders trained as
paramedics, clinicians, or crisis intervention specialists could respond to lower-risk 911 calls
related to mental health, addiction, and homelessness, and also include peer navigators
whose personal experiences with behavioral health and social service needs can help build
bridges with individuals involved in these 911 calls; and
(2) Quality of life and conflict calls. Community responders could be dispatched to
911 calls for nuisance complaints and nonviolent conflicts, which may include reports of
suspicious people, youth behavioral issues, trespassing, and even simple assaults that do not
involve weapons; community responders who respond to these calls should be professionals
with deep connections to the community and extensive training in conflict mediation; and
WHEREAS, the purpose of this partnership is to reduce incidents of injuries related
to mental health emergencies while reducing the incarceration of the mentally ill; and
WHEREAS, it is appropriate to study the feasibility and implementation of this
partnership in Louisiana.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
hereby creates a task force within the Louisiana Department of Health to study the
implementation of a partnership between law enforcement agencies, behavioral health
providers, and hospitals to reduce or eliminate incidents of law enforcement officers
responding to nonviolent calls or behavioral or social crises in which no crime is reported.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall be composed of the
following members:
(1) The state senator for Senate District 34.
(2) A representative of the Louisiana 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.
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(5) A representative of the Louisiana Psychological Association, as designated by the
president of the association.
(6) A representative of the Capital Area Human Services and a patient advocate for
mental health, designated by the chair of the board of directors.
(7) A representative of the Louisiana Association of Chiefs of Police, designated by
the president of the association.
(8) A representative of the Louisiana Sheriffs' Association, designated by the
president of the association.
(9) A representative of Louisiana State University-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, designated by the chief
executive officer of the medical center.
(12) A representative of Louisiana's Mental Health Advocacy Service and a patient
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.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall be chaired by the state
senator for Senate District 34, and may elect a vice chair and other officers as determined
to be necessary.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the names of the members chosen, designated,
or elected as provided herein shall be submitted to the Department of Health, office of
behavioral health, by August 15, 2022.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall hold its organizational
meeting not later than October 1, 2022, on the call of the chair, and at the organizational
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meeting, the task force shall elect any other officers as it finds necessary and shall adopt
rules for its own procedure.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a majority of the total membership shall
constitute a quorum of the task force and any official action by the task force shall require
an affirmative vote of a majority of the quorum present and voting.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health, office of behavioral
health, shall provide staff support to the task force.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall submit a written report of
its findings and recommendations to the Senate no later than March 31, 2023.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, the governor's office of disability affairs,
the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) - Louisiana Chapter, the Louisiana
Psychological Association, the Capital Area Human Services District, the Louisiana
Association of Chiefs of Police, the Louisiana Sheriffs' Association, the chancellor of
Louisiana State University Shreveport, the chief executive officer of Ochsner LSU Health
Shreveport - Monroe Medical Center, the chief executive officer of Louisiana Children's
Medical Center, the chair of the board of trustees of Louisiana's Mental Health Advocacy
Service, the dean of the Tulane University School of Social Work, the president of the
Louisiana Fraternal Order of Police, and the chief executive officer of the Louisiana
Ambulance Alliance.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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