This is why every department, from small towns to large cities, should consider embedding clinicians in law enforcement. Clinicians bring expertise, compassion, and practical solutions that make officers more effective, communities safer, and crisis response more humane.
The Rise of Behavioral Health Crises
Mental health calls are rising at a pace that outstrips police departments’ ability to manage them alone. According to the Treatment Advocacy Center, people with untreated mental illness are sixteen times more likely to be killed during a police encounter. This means officers are increasingly thrust into situations they were never formally trained to handle.
Several factors contribute to this trend:
• Substance use complicates nearly every type of call. The opioid epidemic and widespread fentanyl use create scenarios involving overdoses, withdrawal symptoms, and co-occurring psychiatric issues.
• Officers frequently respond to domestic arguments, neighbor disputes, or emotionally charged situations where de-escalation matters more than enforcement.
• Many individuals in crisis cycle repeatedly through jails, courts, and emergency rooms without ever receiving appropriate care.
The result is predictable: officers feel overwhelmed, communities lose trust, and vulnerable individuals are placed in environments that do not meet their needs.
Why Clinicians in Law Enforcement Matter
Having a clinician on hand is one of the most effective ways to support both officers and community members. Whether the clinician is a psychologist, licensed social worker, counselor, or psychiatric nurse, their presence provides the specialized training and perspective officers lack. They do not replace policing but supplement it with expertise in human behavior, crisis management, and therapeutic intervention.
This expertise can be the difference between escalation and safety. A clinician’s rapid assessment skills can de-escalate tense situations involving suicidal ideation, psychosis, or extreme anxiety. They can guide individuals toward mental health treatment, addiction recovery, or social services instead of jail. They also help officers process trauma, reduce burnout, and lower suicide risk in the profession.
Clinicians can also provide ongoing training. Crisis intervention strategies, trauma-informed approaches, and communication techniques all improve when departments include mental health professionals in their operations. As noted in the AMA Journal of Ethics, psychiatrists and clinicians are essential leaders in crisis intervention programs and can provide real-time support to officers in the field, including integration of 911 and 988 responses.
Benefits for Officers
The advantages of clinicians in law enforcement extend well beyond crisis calls.
Officers often face moral injury and frustration when placed in situations that require clinical expertise rather than enforcement. With clinicians available, officers can shift cases that require specialized care to the appropriate professionals. This frees officers to focus on law enforcement tasks and reduces unnecessary escalation.
Clinicians are also trained in de-escalation, leading to fewer use-of-force incidents. Their involvement improves officer well-being, reduces stress, and provides confidential avenues for emotional support. With a clinician present, officers gain clearer insight into whether a person needs treatment, shelter, or stabilization instead of jail.
When officers know they have professional backup for complex human problems, their confidence and effectiveness increase.
Strengthening Community Trust
The presence of clinicians improves public perception of law enforcement. Residents are more likely to trust and cooperate with police when they see care and compassion embedded in the response.
Clinicians help reduce criminalization by connecting people to treatment rather than jail. They reduce repeat calls by ensuring people receive the help they need rather than being temporarily detained. Their de-escalation strategies increase safety for officers, individuals, and bystanders.
Programs that integrate clinicians into policing consistently show higher satisfaction and improved community relationships.
The Financial Case for Clinicians in Law Enforcement
Cost is often cited as a barrier to adding clinicians, but the financial case is strong.
Housing an inmate is significantly more expensive than community-based treatment. Clinicians can stabilize crises before they escalate into costly ER visits or extended hospital stays. Incidents involving excessive force or wrongful death bring enormous financial liability to municipalities, whereas clinician-led responses lower these risks.
Clinicians also reduce the amount of officer time spent in hospitals during mental health holds by streamlining evaluations and processes. Ultimately, embedding clinicians saves taxpayer money by diverting individuals away from the most expensive interventions: jails and emergency rooms.
Addressing Common Concerns
Some departments fear that clinicians may slow response times, place themselves in danger, or undermine officer authority. These concerns are understandable but often overstated.
Clinicians do not respond to dangerous situations alone. They work alongside officers and often help resolve crises more quickly. They do not challenge police authority; they enhance it by offering solutions to problems that enforcement alone cannot fix.
When roles are clearly defined and built on trust, the partnership functions seamlessly.
A Human-Centered Approach to Crisis Response
Beyond operational and financial benefits, the strongest argument for clinicians in law enforcement is humanitarian. Every crisis call involves someone’s family member someone who deserves safety, dignity, and understanding.
Imagine a suicidal teenager greeted first by a clinician trained in youth mental health. Imagine a person in psychosis being met with calm expertise instead of handcuffs. Imagine officers finishing a shift knowing they helped someone receive care rather than resorting to force.
These outcomes become common when clinicians are embedded in police departments.
Over a career spanning human services and law enforcement, I have seen how transformative a clinician can be during a crisis. Whether a psychiatric nurse, a licensed therapist, or a crisis worker, a clinician provides support that changes outcomes and preserves lives.
Conclusion: A Necessary Shift for Modern Policing
Policing cannot and should not shoulder the full burden of mental illness, addiction, trauma, and poverty. These challenges require expertise that extends beyond traditional law enforcement training.
By embedding clinicians within law enforcement departments, departments improve officer safety, strengthen community trust, reduce costs, and ensure compassionate responses to people in crisis. This is not just a policy recommendation. It is a necessary evolution in public safety.
Every police department should have a clinician on hand. The benefits are clear, measurable, and deeply human.
