Norman City Council discussed mental health crisis response and heard public comment in light of two recent deaths at the Cleveland County Detention Center during its meeting Tuesday.
Ron Sims, chief of statewide crisis response at the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, gave a presentation about the national 988 mental crisis hotline during a city council conference prior to the public meeting.
988 connects callers with trained behavioral health professionals to help Oklahomans, whether through mobile crisis response teams or future forms of treatment via urgent care or hospitalization.
Mobile crisis response teams aim to keep people in the community they live in rather than place them outside their residency, according to Sims. They consist of a licensed clinician and certified peer recovery support specialist or case manager.
Sims said someone who requires a response team often does not need further assistance, such as being placed in a mental health facility.
Since its July rollout, 988 answered over 16,000 calls, an average of 3,000 a month statewide, and dispatched nearly 850 mobile crisis teams. In Norman, 40 teams were dispatched with an average of 58 calls a month.
Law enforcement can utilize mobile crisis response teams through an iPad provided by the program, Chief Clinical Specialist Nisha Wilson said at the meeting. These iPads are equipped with two options: one to connect a therapist to someone in crisis and one to connect officers with therapists for their own mental health needs.
The Norman Police Department currently has 46 iPads, with 12 currently in the field as part of a pilot program. The department has requested 95 iPads. On March 1, all tablets will be in use, according to an NPD spokesperson.
Sims noted that he never worked with Shannon Hanchett, who died in the Cleveland County Detention Center on Dec 9, but did know her. Hanchett formerly worked at the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services before deciding to open a baking business in Norman.
“She was really well-liked and had such a joy about life,” Sims said. “It’s heartbreaking when we lose anyone, but it’s absolutely devastating to lose someone we considered our own.”
Nearly two weeks after Hanchett’s death, Kathryn Milano suffered a medical emergency on Dec 20, marking a second death in the detention center. Both Milano and Hanchett’s deaths are currently under investigation.
At the following Norman City Council meeting, 15 people spoke regarding Hanchett’s death and NPD’s responses to mental health calls.
Ashley Roby, a friend of Hanchett, said Hanchett was the kind of person who was always there when needed. Roby asked the city to make changes and provide support to law enforcement and the community to prevent deaths like Hanchett’s in the future.
“No system is inherently perfect,” Roby said. “It’s okay to take a step back and look at our systems, and even though policies can be followed to a tee, sometimes those policies fall short and do not meet the needs of its community.”
Christina Owen, Norman Human Rights Commission chair, said the Norman community has “trust issues” with NPD and does not feel safe to criticize the department, noting the bodycam footage from Hanchett’s arrest.
“We keep hearing about all the training in Norman’s police department receives, but I don’t see it in that video,” Owen said. “Our community has a need, and we do a disservice to ourselves and to the police by expecting them to be a catch-all for all things needed in Norman. … We are literally dying in the meantime.”
Prior to public comment, the United Way of Norman presented an allocation of over $1.7 million in American Rescue Act Plan to be divided between local non-profits.
Meals on Wheels, Food and Shelter, Habitat for Humanity and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Norman were among the 20 non-profits whose applications were approved unanimously.
The council adjourned into executive session to discuss the possible acquisition of 309 Norman Center Court, a former hotel that the city hopes to turn into an affordable housing complex, which has been listed on the market for over 18 months for $3.75 million.
