A new measure from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio suggests the New York City Police Department change their language when responding to calls relating to someone in a mental health crisis.
Calls for law enforcement that have been referred to as “EDPs,” or “emotionally disturbed persons,” will now be referred to as a “mental health call,” an alteration to police language that is part of a $37 million effort by NYC to deal with mental health issues in the city. “One in five New Yorkers suffers from a mental health condition. It’s our job to reach those people before crisis strikes,” NYC mayor and failed presidential candidate de Blasio said in a statement.
Other measures taken by the city would require mental health professionals instead of law enforcement to respond to certain types of calls.
Some officers, however, did not agree that altering their language or protocol would be an effective way to deal with the crisis of mental health. “What the f–k difference does it make what we call them? It’s the same thing,” one officer said.
Others speculated about the efficacy of the new program and how a language change could be enforced. “You have a cop who’s been calling people EDPs for 20 years,” one police officer said. “How’s he supposed to stop? Enough with the Kumbaya. How about taking care of the main problem, which is a lack of mental-health care?”
Some specifically targeted the city’s choice to have mental health specialists deal with potentially unstable situations. “When you respond to these jobs, the person is non-compliant. Now you’ve gotta worry about yourself and someone who has no law-enforcement experience? It becomes very dangerous,” one officer said. “God forbid you’re a cop and you allow one of these civilians to get hurt.”
Another officer predicted a grim outcome for nonlaw enforcement responses to calls for mental health complaints. “Some innocent person is going to die real soon with this program,” they said.
The NYPD distanced itself from the report of the new language in a statement claiming that any dramatic change to police procedure would be carefully reviewed. “While we move to more comprehensively serve those New Yorkers with some of the most serious mental health issues, there are a number of proposals, including terminology, that we are taking under review,” the department said in a statement.
