ACLU files new mental health response lawsuit in DC

WASHINGTON - D.C. non-profit, Bread for the City has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the District of Columbia’s practice of sending police officers rather than mental health providers in response to mental health emergencies.

The ACLU alleges that the disparity in the District responds to physical and mental health emergencies violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act. 

"More than just illogical and dangerous, D.C.’s emergency response system fails to provide the same level of care for people in mental health crises as for people in physical health crises. This is precisely the type of unequal treatment our disability rights laws are designed to protect against,"said Susan Mizner, director of the ACLU’s Disability Rights Program.

According to the lawsuit, the District discriminates against people with mental health disabilities by failing to ensure that mental health providers instead of police officers are available to provide timely responses to mental health emergencies. 

Experts suggest the reliance on police officers to address mental health crises is more likely to escalate rather than alleviate the mental health issue, instead it is reccommended that communities invest in mental health providers to handle mental health emergencies.

The full complaint can be viewed here.