1. Best practices call for it.

National guidelines recommend that police involvement in crisis services be minimized & used only in rare and exceptional situations.

2. Stigma reduction requires it.

Embedding police in crisis services reinforces pervasive stereotypes that people with mental health issues are risky & dangerous.

3. Communities need it.

Meeting the mental health needs of communities most impacted by structural violence & systemic discrimination requires removal of police from crisis services. It’s necessary for racial equity and disability justice.

4. People want it.

People who have experienced a mental health crisis want to be supported by service providers who aren’t the police.

5. Health equity depends on it.

Supporting the health & well-being of people who are fearful or mistrusting of the police requires establishing non-carceral crisis services.

6. Care quality is improved by it.

Crisis services that respond without police presence have a better chance of deescalating crisis situations, resulting in more therapeutic encounters.

7. Costs are reduced by it.

Non-carceral crisis services decrease the costs of hospital transports, ER visits, inpatient stays, police calls for service, arrests, & involuntary apprehensions.

8. Harms are prevented by it.

Removing police from crisis services prevents people from experiencing the long-term impacts of traumatic & violent encounter.

9. It’s the right thing to do.

Healthcare leaders have full awareness of the harms produced by police interactions with people in crisis. ‘Doing no harm‘ requires removing police from crisis services.

10. It can be done.

Communities around the world have proven that unarmed civilian teams can safety & effectively respond to people in crisis without the police.