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.
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Aisling Mäki
Aisling Mäki covers health care, banking and finance, technology and professions. After launching her career in news two decades ago, she worked in public relations for almost a decade before returning to journalism in 2022.
As a health care reporter, she’s collaborated with The Carter Center, earned awards from the Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists and won a 2024 Tennessee Press Association first-place prize for her series on discrepancies in Shelby County life expectancy by ZIP code.
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.
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