Things are rough for the New York Police Department right now.  Over the past year, thousands of officers have left the force either by quitting or retiring, leaving a void in a city facing a major crime wave that still requires some form of solution.

You'd think Mayor Eric Adams would be more concerned about hiring officers and first responders, who could make a difference on the streets.  Instead, he just issued a new directive that could actually create new problems as we head into 2023.

The directive would allow emergency responders, including police officers, to take people who have mental health conditions to a hospital, even against their will.  And it's based around what's called a Mental Hygiene Law.  It notes that a police or peace officer, as well as a physician or mental health professional, can take said person to a hospital for treatment "if such person appears to be mentally ill and is conducting himself or herself in a manner which is likely to result in serious harm to the person or others."

Adams further noted that this is based on whether the person is "violent, suicidal or presenting a risk of imminent harm."

Now, we know that the state of the world right now is questionable, and those with "mental health issues," as it were, could be motivated to assault or even murder if pushed too far.  So, on paper, a policy such as Adams's would make sense.  On paper.

But there are two problems here, and it's going to create more of a headache for the city that never sleeps.

The first thing to consider is forcing people to undergo mental health treatment.  I understand if people need help, and that's fine.  But that means someone is going to make a judgment call against this person instead of doing a more sound investigation into the matter.

More specifically, this will lead to complaints — more specifically, complaints against our appreciated first responders and the New York Police Department.  There have already been several reports from people who aren't too fond of this new policy.

In turn, while attempting to handle the mental care of people who are "violent, suicidal or presenting a risk of imminent harm" (according to Adams), think of the turmoil this will cause our first responders and officers.  Imagine these police and first responders, already strained from a shrinking budget, having to deal with the emotional turmoil of the condition of these people (and having to make said judgment call without all the facts) and the fallout that could come from complaints.  We've already unfairly dismissed thousands of hardworking police officers and New York workers over ridiculous COVID protocols.  How many more job losses will come from this?

I can understand what Adams is trying to do when it comes to mental care, but there's a better way to go about it.  For instance, assign a mental health team that can evaluate certain subjects carefully and then follow up, instead of simply saying, "You're sick, off to the hospital!"  This would not only provide a better image for them, but allow them to help those who really need the support, instead of sending someone to a hospital who doesn't need it.

Adams and his team should take a closer look at this directive before things get much worse.  Otherwise, you're going to have people suffering even more mental health strain from being forced to go to a hospital, as well as the surrounding issues that will come from officers feeling the results of said decisions.  They're going through hell as it is based on decisions made by Governor Kathy Hochul.  Do they really need this on top of that?

Michael Letts is the founder, president, and CEO of InVest USA, a national grassroots non-profit organization that is helping hundreds of communities provide thousands of bulletproof vests for their police forces through educational, public relations, sponsorship, and fundraising programs.  He also has over 30 years of law enforcement experience under his belt, hence his pro-police stance for his brothers and sisters in blue.  Those interested in learning more about Letts can visit his official website here.

Image: Krystalb97 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped).