Concern over interactions between the police and public is more prevalent today than ever before. Specifically, the number of interactions between the police and individuals with mental health disorders (MHD) has increased as the resources from the mental health systems continue to decrease. To better understand these interactions, this paper focuses on police response to mental health calls for service (MHCFS), with specific attention to resources available for officers. Using factorial surveys, police responses from departments across the USA were analyzed using hierarchical linear mixed modeling. The results suggest the availability of mental health resources are significant predictors in the actions taken by police. Implications are clear, police require more mental health-related resources available to them at the scene.

今天，人们比以往任何时候都更加关注警察与公众之间的互动。具体而言，随着来自精神卫生系统的资源不断减少，警察与患有精神疾病的人（MHD）之间的互动次数有所增加。为了更好地理解这些互动，本文重点关注警察对精神卫生服务要求（MHCFS）的反应，并特别注意警官可利用的资源。通过阶乘调查，使用分层线性混合模型分析了美国各部门的警察回应。结果表明，心理健康资源的可用性是警方采取行动的重要预测因素。后果很明显，警察需要在现场向他们提供更多与心理健康相关的资源。