We’ve all seen it: Officers respond to someone in the midst of a mental health crisis or an overdose. As a former officer and police chief in Irving, Texas, I saw those painful moments again and again. We answered those calls because someone had to, but too often, we were being asked to respond to people in crisis with tools never meant for that job.

What people needed in those moments was not a badge or a jail cell, but immediate access to psychiatric evaluation, stabilization, and treatment. That is why lawmakers must stop any further cuts to healthcare and protect the crisis care systems our communities rely on.

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