OKLAHOMA CITY — The U.S. Department of Justice announced the opening of an investigation Thursday into Oklahoma City and Oklahoma County's handling of mental health crises in their area.
“Community-based mental health services, which are proven effective in transforming people’s lives, are critical to preventing a cycle of unnecessary institutionalization and avoidable contacts with law enforcement,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division is committed to ensuring appropriate responses to behavioral health crises and protecting the civil rights of people with mental health disabilities.”
The DOJ says they plan to investigate whether Oklahoma fails to provide community-based mental health services to people in Oklahoma County, resulting in unnecessary admissions to psychiatric facilities or responses from police. They'll also look at Oklahoma City's systems for responding to people experiencing behavioral mental health crises, including through their 911 call center and Oklahoma City Police Department.
OKC police responded with a statement Thursday:
Anyone with relevant information is encouraged to contact the department via email at MentalHealth.Oklahoma@usdoj.gov or through the Civil Rights Division’s Civil Rights Portal, available at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.
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