Sheriff talks emergency response to mental health crisis calls
Emergency responders need to be ready for any request for help that may come in. But having the expertise to handle a wide range of situations can prove difficult.
In more recent years, many communities have worked to strengthen the pool of resources that law enforcement officers have to better respond to emergencies involving a mental health crisis. In Minnesota, those efforts have fallen under Mobile Crisis Mental Health Services, part of the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
Access to these teams, according to Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen, has been important for law enforcement officers.
Eliasen said that there are resources that law enforcement can turn to for help with navigating an emergency involving a mental health incident, and that begins with when a call comes in to dispatch. He said that if dispatch is able to determine that the emergency is mental-health related, and there is not a danger of violence, local crisis responders from Public Health and Human Services, and Grand Portage Human Services can be tapped to address the situation. He added that sheriff’s deputies are always available to assist.
In addition to specialist responders, Eliasen said that more emphasis has been put on de-escalation training for deputies. “It might take staff three times longer to deal with the call, but it’s going to be safer for that person who needs the help. It’s safer for my staff. It’s going to be safer for everybody.”
The shift toward de-escalation reflects a change in state law, according to Eliasen. He said that when he began his career, often someone having a mental health crisis would automatically be taken to the hospital, sometimes against their will. The emphasis on talking through an emergency has meant building more trust between emergency responders and the public, which can make connecting them with community support easier.
While there have been more resources and training made available for responding to a mental health crisis, Eliasen said that changes in state funding have hurt many people’s access to mental health support. He said that the cuts made to funding for mental health facilities and programs meant a decline in the services that are available.
The cuts in services, Eliasen said, had several results. “You had people who should be getting some treatment who weren’t getting treatment. You had people who should be getting some treatment sitting in jail, which is the last place that they should be. And then you had people that should be getting treatment still out on the streets because there’s nowhere for them to go.”
“I think the state dropped the ball with mental health,” he added. “They placed the burden upon the counties, upon the cities that don’t have the money, don’t have the facilities to do any of this.”
Though he said that there is no simple solution to how to better address mental health needs before or during a crisis, Eliasen commended the work of local PHHS and Grand Portage Human Services crisis response workers, and reiterated his belief that there should be more funding for mental health support programs across the state.
WTIP’s Kirsten WIsniewski spoke with Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen about law enforcement’s role in mental health crises. Audio of that conversation is below.
Kirsten Wisniewski January 21, 2026
