#723 - Washington state’s new policing reforms causing confusion, mental health responders say

The Redmond resident who took a drive, forgot where she left her car and ventured into a stranger’s home looking for a family member was no stranger to Susie Kroll.

For more than a year, Kroll, a community support administrator with the Redmond Police Department, has tried to help the woman, who’s showing symptoms of Alzheimer’s including memory loss. She’s driven her car into bushes or trees, according to Kroll, but always refuses help.

For the licensed mental health professional who accompanies police officers on calls, this latest incident raised the stakes. She said the person could be considered “gravely disabled,” a legal threshold that would allow authorities to involuntarily detain her for an evaluation of their mental health.

Join your host Sean Reynolds, owner of Summit Properties NW, and Reynolds & Kline Appraisal as he takes a look at this developing topic.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/mental-health-responses-put-at-risk-under-washingtons-new-policing-reforms-say-crisis-responders/