SPD talk mental health calls of 2021

According to the Wyoming Department of Health, suicide is a leading cause of preventable death in Wyoming with impacts felt by individuals, families, and communities throughout the state. The Wyoming suicide rate is consistently higher than the national average. In 2019, the Wyoming suicide rate was 29.4 per 100,000 compared to the national rate of 14 per 100,000.

The Sheridan Police Department are often the first responders to calls of someone exhibiting signs of self harm and other mental health crises. 

During the 2021 year, the SPD responded to 934 total incidents of mental health calls. 

According to SPD Captain Tom Ringley, the first priority of any call response is the safety of everyone involved in that call for service. The SPD takes precautions to prevent mental health or medical professionals from walking into an unknown situation and possibly putting them in harm’s way. 

While appearing on Sheridan Media’s Public Pulse program, SPD Chief Travis Koltiska told listeners that safety must come first. 

In some cases, these calls will require the responding officer to use training to determine if the individual is a risk to themselves or others. If the person is found to be a risk, officers can transport the person to a medical or mental health facility at which time a medical or mental health professional has the option to hold them under Title 25. 

The hold often lasts for 72 hours. In that time the individual is evaluated and mental health resources are made available. Ringley Informed listeners that SPD officers are trained to understand that mental health conditions are just that, health conditions. 

Of the 934 mental health calls received by the SPD in 2021, only 59 people were placed on an involuntary medical assessment, representing 6% of the total mental health incidents.