A discussion about mental health and what police should do to respond to people in crisis took place Thursday in Manchester, days after a mass shooting left 18 people dead in Maine. Manchester police said a large majority of their calls involved either people suffering from a mental health crisis or an overdose. Law enforcement officers from Manchester, Bedford and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department said they rely on their community partnerships to respond to calls from people in crisis. Mobile crisis response teams can be found throughout the state, and officials said they “is an important way to ensure that the people best suited to a situation will respond to the crisis. Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg said his department works closely with mental health centers and peer counselors. , but you have to balance someone’s privacy with the fact that they’re not yet a danger to anyone else,” Aldenberg said. “How far law enforcement can they go?” Bedford’s police chief said police can always use more resources, especially at a time when police departments and mental health facilities are experiencing staffing shortages. He said that every officer had required training each year on mental health issues. The discussion was hosted by Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson. Officials also spoke about the opioid epidemic and how it affects New Hampshire and the country, saying people need to better understand how drugs hold their users and that they need to find better ways to cut off the supply.
A discussion about mental health and what police should do to respond to people in crisis took place Thursday in Manchester, days after a mass shooting left 18 people dead in Maine.
Manchester police said a large majority of their calls involved either people experiencing a mental health crisis or an overdose.
Law enforcement officers from Manchester, Bedford and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department said they rely on their community partnerships to respond to calls from people in crisis.
Mobile crisis response teams can be found across the state, and officials said they are an important way to ensure that the people best suited to a situation will respond to the crisis.
Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg said his department works closely with mental health centers and peer counselors.
“These are difficult decisions, but you have to balance someone’s privacy with the fact that they’re not yet a danger to anyone else,” Aldenberg said. “How far can law enforcement go?”
Bedford’s police chief said police can always use more resources, especially at a time when police departments and mental health facilities are experiencing staffing shortages. He said every officer requires training on mental health issues every year.
The discussion was hosted by Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson.
Officials also spoke about the opioid epidemic and how it is affecting New Hampshire and the country, saying people need to better understand the hold drugs have on their users and they need to find ways to best ways to cut off supply.
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