We cannot arrest our way out of a mental health crisis, in Kansas or elsewhere

For far too long, one of the greatest frustrations in law enforcement has been that we are often called because someone in our community is experiencing a substance use or mental health crisis and needs help that we aren’t trained or equipped to provide.

Every police officer I know has been through this. Law enforcement responding to people with untreated mental illness or addiction consumes enormous public resources and does little to help with the crisis or the underlying problem.

Fortunately, in Kansas, we now have a better response that’s good for people in need and their loved ones as well as police officers and public safety.

Through Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, trained behavioral health professionals partner with law enforcement to bring care instead of handcuffs to people in crisis. I’ve seen the power of the model in my community, thanks to Prairie View’s CCBHC.

Just a few years ago, my officers could spend entire shifts — and even longer — sitting in a hospital emergency department with someone waiting to be evaluated. That meant officers were unavailable to answer other safety calls, while the person in crisis often received at best temporary stabilization before being discharged.

Today, officers who respond to 911 calls about people in crisis transport those suffering directly to Prairie View, where they receive immediate care from trained behavioral health professionals. Sometimes Prairie View’s crisis response teams also come to the scene, take over once it is safe, develop a safety plan, connect the person to services, and free up police officers to return to protecting the community.

That is a better outcome for all of us.

The results in McPherson are clear. Since the implementation and expansion of Prairie View’s clinic, police responses to crisis-related calls have declined from 76 in 2022 to 42 in 2025. Protective custody placements, where officers must stay with a person in crisis, dropped by more than 80%. Average time spent in hospitals supervising people in crisis who were awaiting evaluation decreased by more than three and a half hours.

Those numbers matter. They mean people are getting connected to care faster, fewer people end up in involuntary emergency detention, and officers return to patrol faster, improving public safety for the entire community.

One of the biggest changes we have seen is that more people in crisis accept help. Many now choose treatment because they know they will be taken somewhere designed to help them.

This successful partnership between law enforcement and CCBHCs reflects a larger truth: We cannot arrest our way out of a mental health crisis. Behavioral health professionals can solve problems that police officers cannot. Better outcomes and lasting public safety depends on people receiving the right care at the right time.

For Kansas, the model is especially important because many of our rural communities have limited behavioral health resources. In parts of our state, families — and officers — have few places to turn when someone is in crisis. A model that brings trained professionals, crisis response, and coordinated care out into the communities makes all the difference.

Kansas has made meaningful progress, but there is still work to do. Every community deserves access to the kind of coordinated crisis response that has improved outcomes in McPherson.

As police officers, our job is to keep communities safe. One of the best ways to do that is by ensuring people experiencing mental health or substance use crises  receive effective treatment before their situations escalate into emergencies.

That is why supporting and expanding Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics across Kansas makes sense. They help people get well. They make better use of taxpayer dollars. They allow police officers to focus on policing, while behavioral health professionals provide the specialized care they are uniquely trained to deliver.

The result is healthier people, safer communities, and a stronger Kansas.