As mental health crises rise, local first responders shoulder growing responsibility

Disclaimer: This article references suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, you can reach the 988 Lifeline at any time of day or night by dialing or texting 988. It's also possible to chat with someone online at 988lifeline.org. HANCOCK COUNTY — In 2025, a study from Johns Hopkins University found that nearly 10% of Americans reported experiencing a mental health crisis in the year prior. Other sources report this number is only increasing. However, only 72% of those experiencing a crisis sought help, a gap that often leaves law enforcement as the first point of contact for someone in distress. Law enforcement agencies in Hancock and Wyandot counties are looking into ways to keep their officers prepared for situations that can shift from calm to dangerous in seconds. When dispatchers receive 911 calls, the goal is information gathering to determine the best response and so law enforcement knows what will be required when arriving on scene. Bethany Nessler, a dispatcher at the Hancock County Sheriff's Office, says this can be difficult. "Many times what we are told on the phone is not exactly what is going on at the scene," she said. "We try to get as much helpful information, but not all callers are always cooperative and what we are told is not always the truth… We have to use the tools we have to gain the most information possible." Sometimes, she said, dispatchers are not able to get direct answers from callers and are forced to read the subtext of the conversation. The main priority is to make sure everyone is safe by gathering information and relaying that to deputies so they can encounter the situation in a safe manner. It's also important, she added, to ask if anyone is intoxicated. "We have to constantly be 'thinking on the fly' and use our best tools and judgements on what to do next," she said. "At any time the call can change, the demeanor can change and we just have to be prepared to take control and assist as well as we can over the phone… I think instilling some sort of trust from the beginning can help the caller be more cooperative once a deputy gets on scene." Sgt. Andrew Rudnik of the Findlay Police Department echoes this sentiment by saying that he finds the biggest challenge facing officers is the lack of information. "Obviously (officers) can't assume the person calling or providing the information to dispatch is telling them everything," he said. This lack of information forces officers to do their own investigations of the circumstances while also attempting to de-escalate the situation and determine the best course of action. They need to be able to gather information on the fly while remaining empathetic and understanding of the situation that caused someone to have a crisis. Rudnik called these polychronic situations that require a large cognitive load "a tightrope act" for officers. "The officers need to be empathetic to the person and show that they are only there to help and want them to get the help they need," he said. "Not every crisis situation is extreme in the sense that the person is holding a knife to their wrist. It could be the person is upset over a break up and made comments to their ex or a friend that they don't want to be here anymore. That person would and could still be in crisis." He added that officers need to be able to effectively communicate with people to understand the full breadth of the situation. Nessler said when someone is unable to tell dispatchers what happened because they are too panicked or are incoherent, it's helpful to remind someone to breathe. "Sometimes that is all someone needs is to be told to breathe and instructed what to do," she said. "If you are in the worst moment of your life, your brain can not think straight and having a calm voice can really help bring a heightened situation down." Chief Deputy Tom Walker of the Hancock County Sheriff's Office said that he finds mental health related calls challenging. He also said that after arriving on the scene, deputies will either provide information for further resources or will transport the person in crisis to the hospital for evaluation. Walker said that in his experience, "many who are experiencing a mental health crisis will turn to self-medicating in an attempt to feel better," he said. "This (response) directly thwarts deputies' attempts to de-escalate and reason with those in crisis… Substance abuse dramatically affects outcomes. There is no such thing as a 'routine' mental health crisis." Chief Jared Lucas of the Upper Sandusky Police Department said that it's hard to prepare for every situation but continued training and practice will provide officers with the tools necessary to best handle mental health related calls. "The biggest thing we can focus on is understanding what someone is going through, how they might behave and being alert to threats in the area," Lucas said. As the volume and complexity of these calls seems to be growing, law enforcement agencies are forced to find ways to better prepare officers for the realities of these calls. Locally, law enforcement officers mainly utilize skills taught by the Crisis Intervention Team program, a training model that a National Alliance on Mental Illness- Ohio webpage says is focused on teaching officers how to better de-escalate and provide help to those in crisis. Some agencies report also utilizing a co-responder model that sends a mobile crisis response team, composed of mental health professionals, but is sometimes accompanied by law enforcement. The Hancock County Sheriff's Office, The Findlay Police and the Upper Sandusky Police utilize CIT and both Hancock and Wyandot counties have a mobile crisis response team option. The CIT program teaches two methods for de-escalation. Rudnik explains the LOSS model and the EAR model are a guide for officers to work towards resolutions during crisis scenarios. "The LOSS model (loss of control, loss of hope, loss of reality, loss of perspective) helps with determining what the person could be experiencing or what diagnosis they may have and the EAR model (Engage, Assess, Resolution) guides officers through the process of de-escalation by gaining rapport and building trust, gathering needed information and being patient and finally gaining control of the situation, taking action and hopefully getting the situation back to pre-crisis state," he said. When a subject becomes actively suicidal, the CIT program also teaches Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR). Under this model, officers are taught to question someone's desire to die by suicide, persuade them to seek help and refer or help them get to healthcare professionals. Statistics provided by Rudnik showed the FPD responded to a total of 307 CIT-related calls in 2025. The ages of those involved ranged from as young as eight to as old as 91. "We respond to mental health calls almost everyday and sometimes multiple times per day," Rudnik said. Sometimes, someone may just want someone to talk with; other times they may be so far into crisis they cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel and may require immediate intervention. If someone refuses voluntary transport to the hospital, Ohio Revised Code allows some medical providers and law enforcement officers to "pink slip" a person, or take them into custody against their will for the purpose of providing medical intervention, if they have "reason to believe that a person with a mental illness… represents a substantial risk of physical harm to self or others," according to the ORC. In other states, the name differs but the legal emergency custody order exists nationwide. According to Walker, the decision to "pink slip" is not made lightly. "The primary goal is always to prevent any type of harm, either present or future," he said. "De-escalation is preferred prior to any action." But as Walker notes, sometimes officers cannot de-escalate a subject who does not want to be de-escalated. "There is no 'jedi-mind trick' we can deploy and sometimes our best efforts are still met with resistance and violence," he said. "Deputies are well trained and receive continued professional training regarding crisis responses. Our people are truly compassionate and care a great deal about Hancock County, however, there is a misconception that they can wave a wand or say a magic phrase that convinces everyone to cooperate. That's a very unrealistic expectation of perfection." Though not as common, sometimes these crisis calls end in criminal charges. Officers' hands may be tied as to what they are able to do for someone. "If acts of violence or intoxication are present, we sometimes are left with no other choice but to make a physical arrest and allow the court system to make arrangements for assessments," Walker said. Other times, instead of de-escalation, the situation could escalate to require a more specialized response. As explained by Rudnik, sometimes the situation requires response from the Emergency Response Team which is responsible for handling higher-risk incidents including but not limited to hostage situations, barricaded subjects and active shooters. This team is specially trained and has negotiators that will attempt communication to talk the subject into surrendering to end the situation safely. "Any situation can escalate to the point of calling in the ERT, something as simple as an individual in crisis deciding to grab a hostage or to barricade themselves in a bathroom threatening to shoot themselves or anyone who tries to intervene," he said. The situation can also escalate to someone gaining access to a weapon and refusing to put it down. Because law enforcement officers are trained to contain the threat, not to simply wound, the situation could become a "suicide by cop" scenario. This escalation may be what the subject in crisis desires, as made evident by a situation last October when the Findlay Police shot and killed a man after being told there was an active shooter in the area. These situations are never easy and are avoided when possible. "No matter what the crisis may be, (the potentially suicidal subject) made the decision to end their life by threatening or engaging law enforcement to a point where lethal force is used," Lucas said. "If we pause too long and not take the threat seriously, we risk fatal injuries when they actually fire the weapon. This situation is very hard on officers. We might know they are experiencing a crisis situation but when presented with a threat, most of the time we don't have the luxury of asking many questions and risk being fatally shot when they escalate. Officers then have to deal with the trauma of shooting a person who they knew was not in their normal mindset and actively in crisis." Law enforcement needs to deal with the most imminent threat first, like a weapon, before responding to the mental health crisis. "The officers are going to respond accordingly while making sure to keep themselves and the subject safe," Rudnik said. He said the officer will still try to de-escalate when possible and that the response will depend on the weapon. "With an edged weapon, officers will likely keep their distance so as to give themselves time to react should the subject choose to charge at the officer while still communicating to them and trying to talk them down," he said. "If a firearm is involved, that definitely changes the mindset of the officer, as the firearm can be used from a distance which in turn causes the officer to have to react quicker to any kind of threat." Less lethal weapons are available to officers but Rudnik voiced concern at their ineffectiveness. Repeated crisis calls can be upsetting and perhaps even traumatizing for both the dispatcher and the officers. "Essentially something traumatic occurs and officers are expected to deal with it and continue to do the job," Rudnik said. Walker agrees that his deputies can be impacted by these calls. "Deputies are always impacted by preventable deaths and deplorable situations resulting from mental health crises," Walker said. But he is hopeful about the resources provided to staff. All three agencies state that officer wellbeing is at the forefront of their daily operations. FPD offers a CISM team that Rudnik says operates as a peer support group and the Hancock County Sheriff's Office offers similar resources. As mental health related calls continue to rise, local law enforcement leaders say training, compassion and strong partnerships with behavioral-health providers remain essential, but they also acknowledge the limits of what officers can do alone. Without broader health investment in mental health services, police will continue to serve as the default responders for crises that extend far beyond the scope of traditional law enforcement.