MONROE - Local law enforcement agencies support the Madison Police Department's push to open Mendota Mental Health Institute for emergency detentions, an issue Madison's police chief said is "vexing."
Madison Police Chief Michael Koval met with state officials last week to discuss possibly opening MMHI for emergency detentions, which are for individuals who could pose harm to others or themselves and are in need of a mental health evaluation. MMHI closed its doors to emergency detentions in April, though for many other law enforcement agencies besides Madison's they have been effectively closed for about three years. MMHI now only takes forensic patients, patients who are court-ordered to be detained or who voluntarily commit themselves.
Koval said that MMHI pledged to continue looking into ways to open for emergency detentions in the short term.
"Nothing was effectively resolved, but we're giving them some time to set up some stop-gaps," Koval said.
Koval is attempting to come to a negotiation out of court to get MMHI reopened, but he said he isn't ruling out litigation against the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. He said his sense coming out of last week's meeting with state officials was that it is a funding problem rather than an issue of space, and that MMHI is working towards preventative measures to ensure cases don't require emergency detentions.
"They (MMHI) want to prevent these cases from ripening into emergency detentions, and I support and encourage their goal, but it doesn't help us when we've had about 100 emergency detentions this year already," Koval said.
MMHI not accepting emergency detentions has had a major impact on local law enforcement agencies in Monroe and across the state that have been taking their emergency detentions to Winnebago Mental Health Institute in Oshkosh. Monroe Police Chief Fred Kelley said he has to put two of his officers on the road for at least six hours traveling to Oshkosh and back for every emergency detention, pulling away from his already limited staff. The trip usually requires at least one officer using overtime hours, and each trip costs the department about $500, not including benefits. Kelley said his department usually averages about one emergency detention per week.
"We have to certify that it is a last resort and nothing else can be done, and Human Services has to concur; it can't just be the officer's concurrence," Kelley said.
Kelley said he suspects they have to perform more emergency detentions because the largest hospital in the county is in Monroe and that is where the patients get sent to before law enforcement gets involved.
"They're not criminals, they're still patients and you have got to find some services for them," Kelley said. "We do it because it's a danger if we don't."
Koval said for now they will just wait and see what Mendota can accomplish as far as preventative measures.
"This is really the new normal that we all have to get used to," Koval said. "It's vexing, with all the complexities it adds in terms of our resources stretched thinner."
Madison Police Chief Michael Koval met with state officials last week to discuss possibly opening MMHI for emergency detentions, which are for individuals who could pose harm to others or themselves and are in need of a mental health evaluation. MMHI closed its doors to emergency detentions in April, though for many other law enforcement agencies besides Madison's they have been effectively closed for about three years. MMHI now only takes forensic patients, patients who are court-ordered to be detained or who voluntarily commit themselves.
Koval said that MMHI pledged to continue looking into ways to open for emergency detentions in the short term.
"Nothing was effectively resolved, but we're giving them some time to set up some stop-gaps," Koval said.
Koval is attempting to come to a negotiation out of court to get MMHI reopened, but he said he isn't ruling out litigation against the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. He said his sense coming out of last week's meeting with state officials was that it is a funding problem rather than an issue of space, and that MMHI is working towards preventative measures to ensure cases don't require emergency detentions.
"They (MMHI) want to prevent these cases from ripening into emergency detentions, and I support and encourage their goal, but it doesn't help us when we've had about 100 emergency detentions this year already," Koval said.
MMHI not accepting emergency detentions has had a major impact on local law enforcement agencies in Monroe and across the state that have been taking their emergency detentions to Winnebago Mental Health Institute in Oshkosh. Monroe Police Chief Fred Kelley said he has to put two of his officers on the road for at least six hours traveling to Oshkosh and back for every emergency detention, pulling away from his already limited staff. The trip usually requires at least one officer using overtime hours, and each trip costs the department about $500, not including benefits. Kelley said his department usually averages about one emergency detention per week.
"We have to certify that it is a last resort and nothing else can be done, and Human Services has to concur; it can't just be the officer's concurrence," Kelley said.
Kelley said he suspects they have to perform more emergency detentions because the largest hospital in the county is in Monroe and that is where the patients get sent to before law enforcement gets involved.
"They're not criminals, they're still patients and you have got to find some services for them," Kelley said. "We do it because it's a danger if we don't."
Koval said for now they will just wait and see what Mendota can accomplish as far as preventative measures.
"This is really the new normal that we all have to get used to," Koval said. "It's vexing, with all the complexities it adds in terms of our resources stretched thinner."