The Rochester Police Department is continuing its policy updates, this time announcing new guidelines for Mental Hygiene Detention and situational De-Escalation. The changes were give to RPD officers Tuesday and take effect immediately.
Officer are advised to assess the need for help from a mental health clinician when making a Mental Hygiene Detention, and should consider use of the Rochester Person in Crisis Team, or if not available, the Monroe County Forensic Intervention team. They can help to de-escalate the situation. Police will stand by and assist the mental health personnel.
Officers are being told to “adhere to the use of restraining devices consistent with the department’s policies” to prevent someone on a mental health call from escaping or causing harm to themselves or others.
Officers are also being told to use de-escalation techniques and tactics when it is safe and feasible to do so, minimizing the need to use force in response to resistance.
The full policies are available online at https://data-rpdny.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/go-560-psychiatriccrisis-intervention and https://data-rpdny.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/go-575-de-escalation .
These changes come after several high profile incidents including the Daniel Prude death, which started as a mental hygiene call, the pepper spraying of a 9-year-old girl and the shooting of a man threatening police officers near the Open Door Mission.