The Salem Police Department is no longer dispatching officers to non-violent mental calls.
Deputy Police Chief Tyler Rose says the department is participating in a pilot program ahead of a new law that prohibits initial response to mental calls that takes effect in July.
“If it is non-violent, there are no weapons, there no threat to another individual, it’s someone simply having a mental health crisis, the legislation forbids us from dispatching officers right away,” Rose said. “That will have to be referred to these mobile crisis units. For Salem, it’s going to be members of the Community Resource Center that come out and make contact with that that individual.”
Rose says if the Community Resource Center is not able to respond within 60 minutes the call will revert to Salem Police to handle.
Rose is trying to get the word out about the change to avoid confusion or concern when police do not initially respond to a non-violent mental issue.
