The Framingham Police Department took a step beyond law enforcement toward common sense recently with its partnership with Advocates Inc.

Police are, by necessity, trained to focus on crime. Often, however, a crime is committed by someone who is mentally ill, and they and society would be better served by treatment for that illness rather than time in jail.

The partnership with Advocates makes that possible.

Through the Jail Diversion Program, funded with grants from agencies that include MetroWest Health Care Foundation, Poitras Foundation and United Way -- police officers are trained to identify possible mental illness, and mental health clinicians are trained in police protocol.

Together, they determine -- often at the scene of the crime or at the home of the suspect -- whether the person who has committed a low-level crime -- such as creating a public disturbance -- should be arrested and jailed or referred to a treatment program.

		Editorial: Mentally ill need more than police Thursday, June 12, 2003
		The Framingham Police Department took a step beyond law enforcement toward common sense recently with its partnership with Advocates Inc. Police are, by necessity, trained to focus on crime. Often, however, a crime is committed by someone who is mentally ill, and they and society would be better served by treatment for that illness rather than time in jail. The partnership with Advocates makes that possible. Through the Jail Diversion Program, funded with grants from agencies that include MetroWest Health Care Foundation, Poitras Foundation and United Way -- police officers are trained to identify possible mental illness, and mental health clinicians are trained in police protocol. Together, they determine -- often at the scene of the crime or at the home of the suspect -- whether the person who has committed a low-level crime -- such as creating a public disturbance -- should be arrested and jailed or referred to a treatment program.		Prior to the program, the Police Department was often forced to use a hospital emergency room as a safe place to evaluate those suspected of having a mental illness. Now there is less reliance on the hospital and offenders experiencing delusions or suicidal thoughts are treated appropriately. Officials hope that next step in the program will be court-mandated mental health treatment -- where appropriate -- for someone arrested for a serious crime. According to the federal department of Justice, 10 million arrests are made nationwide each year, and 700,000 of those arrested have a mental illness. The Framingham Police Department and Advocates should be congratulated for acknowledging that -- like antibiotics for an infection -- crime committed due to mental illness is better treated directly at the source. © Copyright by the Herald Interactive Advertising Systems, Inc. No portion of the Daily News Tribune or its content may be reproduced without the owner's written permission.

		© 2004 Advocates Inc. / Framingham Police Department

Editorial: Mentally ill need more than police