Police-Encounters-With-People-In-Crisis

in their area. Such an easily accessible reference tool should
aggregate information on all community supports, in addition to
major psychiatric facilities; and
(c)
Point of Contact: working with mental health organizations to
identify key resource people or liaisons, so that every TPS officer
has a contact in the mental health system that they feel comfortable
contacting for advice and who is able to knowledgeably give that
advice.
RECOMMENDATION 3: The TPS amend Procedure 06-04 “Emotionally
Disturbed Persons” to provide for the mandatory notification of MCIT units for
every call involving a person in crisis.
RECOMMENDATION 4: The TPS, either through the Mental Health Sub-
Committee of the Toronto Police Services Board or another body created for this
purpose, consider ways to bridge the divide between police officers and people
living with mental health issues. This initiative, in furtherance of the formal
commitments recommended in Recommendation 5, and building on the mandate
for community-oriented policing placed on all police services in Ontario under
section1 of the Police Services Act, may include:
(a)
(b)
(c)
Divisional Meetings: inviting members of the community of people
who have experienced mental health issues into Divisional meetings
to speak with officers;
Community Gathering Places: officers building collaborative
relationships with people who have experienced mental health
issues at drop-ins, clubhouses, and other gathering places; and
Leadership: the TPS Mental Health Coordinator and Divisional
Mental Health Liaison Officers facilitating the initiatives in
subsections (a) and (b), as well as other relationship-building and
de-stigmatizing programs.
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