In an effort to encourage conversation regarding mental health issues in Utah, Rep. Tyler Clancy hosted a panel at the Provo City Library on Wednesday to bring together experts and the public to discuss mental illness.

The panelists included members of the Orem Police Department, Utah Disability Law Center, Wasatch Behavioral Health and Intermountain Health. Rep. Nelson Abbott also sat on the panel.

The panel tackled conversations on mental health awareness, law enforcement response to individuals in a mental health crisis, and the lack of resources and funding for mental health. Around 25 people were in attendance.

Panelists heavily discussed how law enforcement responds to calls involving people in a mental health crisis and when a police response may or may not be appropriate.

Nate Crippes, an attorney with the Utah Disability Law Center, said while there are times when having police respond to a mental health crisis is appropriate, law enforcement isn’t always the proper response.

“I don’t think police are the appropriate response for every situation with a mental health crisis,” Crippes said. “I think there are times where they are absolutely the appropriate response for a mental crisis if that person presents a danger.”

Crippes advocated for law enforcement officers to be trained in handling mental health cases and utilizing third-party crisis teams to respond in some situations.

“I think a lot of times people with mental illness may have had poor interactions with law enforcement in the past, and so by sending them it can escalate the situation,” he said. “So I think ultimately, you know, trying to find that balance of when it is appropriate.”

Crippes pointed to a program in Denver where emergency dispatchers determine if a mental health call needs a law enforcement response, such as a person with a weapon, or if a non-police response may be appropriate.

Lt. Jeremy Jamison, who worked with the Orem Police Department’s mental health response team, chimed in, saying that he would “love if there was a process” for officers not to have to respond to certain calls, but the current dispatch system isn’t set up for that.

Jamison said changes like Crippes suggested boil down to getting government funding and figuring out how to implement it.

“Everybody has great ideas, but at the end of the day, who’s gonna pay for it,” he said. “Like, how are we going to implement it?”

Laura Oaks, with Wasatch Behavioral Health, said her organization tries to “default to not having officers,” but they still utilize mental health teams within police departments for the safety of social workers.

In discussing his role as a legislator, Abbott said there’s a need for earlier intervention for individuals with mental illness instead of waiting until “it’s a crisis,” adding that he hopes there can be more political momentum for early intervention.

“The resources that we put into mental illness are not adequate,” Abbott said.

When asked about getting state funding for mental health resources, Clancy said they’re going to “pay for it one way or the other.”

“I think it’s about painting a picture of what kind of system do we want,” he said and about deciding between a system that waits until it’s a crisis to respond or one that gets individuals “more effective care on the front end.”

The Provo lawmaker said events like this are about “identifying gaps in the system” and allowing community members to talk about tough issues together.

“What we can do with these more intimate conversations is identify the specific gaps to make sure, maybe, here’s where government is being effective, here’s where it’s overstepping and here’s where there’s a gap,” he said. “And that’s really what we’re trying to do is hone in on what really matters to people.”

Clancy said he plans to host more panels, or “community conversations,” similar to Wednesday’s event, possibly on topics like school safety, homelessness and other “issues important to our neighbors.”

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