A recent report from the Los Angeles city controller’s office questions the effectiveness of the Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) Systemwide Mental Assessment Response Team (SMART). The report highlights that clinicians trained in de-escalation are often required to defer to armed officers during mental health crises, leading to potentially dangerous situations.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the SMART program pairs licensed specialists with officers in unmarked cars. However, critics argue that the program fails in the initial minutes of encounters, where multiple police shootings of mentally ill individuals have occurred. Dinah M. Manning, chief of strategic initiatives in the controller’s office, noted an “inherent contradiction” in the program, as LAPD policy mandates that armed patrol officers clear a scene of potential threats before specialists can intervene.
The report also found that traditional police units often take charge, even when no weapon is involved, such as in cases of individuals threatening to die by suicide. Manning questioned, “How is it that we’re ending up with so many fatalities?” An LAPD spokesperson declined to comment on the report.
The report further criticized the lack of specialized training for officers in the SMART units and inadequate tracking of force used in mental health-related calls. It stated that the LAPD’s use of force policy falls short of best practices for dealing with individuals in mental distress, only briefly mentioning “vulnerable populations” without addressing the complexities of mental health crises.
As reported by Yahoo News, the report comes amid ongoing debates in Los Angeles and beyond about how to handle emergencies involving mental health, homelessness, and substance use. While the city has expanded alternative programs, concerns remain about the impact of potential federal spending cuts on these initiatives. LAPD leaders have expressed support for such programs but caution that any call could escalate into violence, necessitating the presence of armed officers.
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