Dozens of lives might have been saved if these interventions had been implemented earlier. We owe it to the lives that will be saved by implementing non- police responses to mental health crises to make changes, now. We therefore urge this Committee to support Senate Bill 572 and Senate Bill 781.
Continuing to vest the response to mental health and addiction crises in the hands of police, on the other hand, is not the right response. We have tried this approach, with deadly results. For that reason, we oppose House Bill 5162 and House Bill 5586, and urge this Committee to do the same.
