Minneapolis at forefront of alternatives to policing, mental health crisis response
On a warmer-than-usual February night in Minneapolis, a nurse dialed 911 because one of her patients sounded disoriented or inebriated. The 911 dispatcher didn’t forward the welfare check to police like she would have done just a few years before, but sent it to the Minneapolis Behavioral Crisis Response team — otherwise known as BCR.
Dressed in blue jackets with the project’s name splashed across their backs, two responders climbed into their big, white sprinter van and rattled off towards the woman’s home in northeast Minneapolis.
Responder Jessy Grondin said they’re trained in de-escalation techniques. Responders approach each call with the aim of empowering the person in crisis.
“We inform people of who we are, we introduce ourselves and we just take an approach where we’re very calm,” Grondin said. “That also helps them be more open, and we just provide as much information as we can, so that they have choices on the care that they have.”
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