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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Kimberly Saltz, Legal Fellow at NAACP Legal Defense Fund on Mental Health Crisis Response
5:14:50
·
130 sec
Kimberly Saltz from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund critiques the proposed increase in funding for street and subway outreach for mental health crises, emphasizing the need for community-based, trauma-informed responses instead of law enforcement involvement.
- Argues that crisis intervention training and co-responder models for law enforcement are not effective solutions for protecting people with mental health disabilities from police violence
- Highlights the benefits of mobile crisis responders staffed with clinicians, social workers, and peer workers who have lived experience
- Urges the city council to invest in true community-based, trauma-informed responses to emergency mental health calls in fiscal year 2026
Kimberly Saltz
5:14:50
Good afternoon council members.
5:14:51
My name is Kimberly Saltz and I'm a legal fellow with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
5:14:55
The mayor's proposed executive budget calls for an increase in funding for citywide street and subway outreach for those experiencing mental health crisis.
5:15:03
This funding is critical to connecting vulnerable individuals with resources and services, but the city must ensure that this funding does not further entrench law enforcement in the response to mental and behavioral health issues.
5:15:15
There's been an increase in crisis intervention training and co responder models in law enforcement agencies.
5:15:20
This demonstrates the growing consensus that responding to incidents involving people with mental health disabilities requires involvement of mental health training and professionals.
5:15:29
However, crisis intervention training and co responder models are not the effective solution for protecting people from police violence.
5:15:38
Law enforcement has a fundamentally different goal and priority than mental health care providers.
5:15:43
Law enforcement's mission is to enforce laws, and officers prioritize immediate resolutions of potential threats.
5:15:49
Overall, research shows that officers who receive a crisis intervention training do not arrest people with mental health disabilities any less frequently than those who did not receive the training.
5:16:00
Research also shows that those who receive crisis intervention training had no significant effect on the officers' use of force.
5:16:07
Most importantly, the mere sight of law enforcement officers can re traumatize people with mental health disabilities who have had traumatic experiences with law enforcement in the past.
5:16:16
By contrast, mobile crisis responders staffed with clinicians, social workers, and peer workers who have lived experience do not involve police and have professional expertise and are trained to safely and effectively engage with someone experiencing a crisis and serious mental health disability.
5:16:33
Mobile crisis responders take the time needed to resolve the incident, identify and understand the underlying issues, and connect the person experiencing crisis to the additional services they may need.
5:16:43
Therefore, mobile crisis responders are more likely to successfully de escalate these types of interactions as opposed to law enforcement who often escalate.
5:16:51
We urge city council to invest in true community based trauma informed responses to emergency mental health calls in fiscal year twenty twenty six.
5:16:59
Thank you.
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Testimony by Donovan Tavares, Representative of NAACP Legal Defense Fund, on Mental Health Crisis Response and Police Violence
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Testimony by William Juhn, Senior Staff Attorney at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, on Police Involvement in Mental Health Crisis Calls