Quote:
Originally Posted by PepsiFree
True, but it's worth pointing out that health care and social workers are also trained in de-escalating these issues, sometimes much better than a police officer in terms of a mental health crisis. It's not just having them there for the time when it's all fine and dandy again, it's relying on their specific skills to get it to that state.
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They're trained to handle those situations in a clinical setting or other safe location. Going out into an alley at 2 am, or an apartment where people are screaming and threatening one another, is a whole different story. Especially when you consider that the overwhelming majority of social workers today are women who never signed up for that sort of danger. Handing off those responsibilities from police to social workers would require a major recruitment and retraining drive.