Law enforcement, first responders take new approach to mental health emergencies
Major Sam Cochran, a retired coordinator of the Memphis Police Crisis Intervention Team, talks about leading the Shelby County Sheriff department’s new training for this program. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
Local law enforcement and emergency responders are trying to keep people suffering from mental health crises out of the ER and out of jail.
Topics
Mental health Memphis Fire Department Memphis Police Department Shelby County Sheriff’S Office Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. Alliance Healthcare Services Laurie Powell Crisis Intervention Team Law Enforcement healthcare navigator Kevin Spratlin Sam Cochran CARE Team Subscriber OnlyThank you for supporting local journalism.
Subscribers to The Daily Memphian help fund our not-for-profit newsroom of nearly 40 local journalists plus more than 20 freelancers, all of whom work around the clock to cover the issues impacting our community. Subscriptions - and donations - also help fund our community access programs which provide free access to K-12 schools, community organizations, and more. Thank you for making our work possible.
Aisling Mäki
Aisling Mäki has spent the better part of two decades writing about Memphis. A former digital journalist for WMC Action News 5 and staff reporter for Memphis Daily News, her work has also appeared in The Commercial Appeal, High Ground News, I Love Memphis, Inside Memphis Business, The Memphis Flyer, Memphis Parent, Memphis Magazine and Tri-State Defender.
Julia Baker
A lifelong Memphian, Julia Baker graduated from the University of Memphis in 2021. Other publications and organizations she has written for include Chalkbeat, Memphis Flyer, Memphis Parent magazine and Memphis magazine.
Public Safety on demand
Sign up to receive Public Safety stories as they’re published.
Enter your e-mail address
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.