Stanford University announced that, in most cases, it will now rely on the Palo Alto Fire Department instead of campus police to transport students put in psychiatric holds to the emergency room.
“We are deeply appreciative of our collaborative working relationship, and we are grateful to partner with you on discussing different options for transporting students who are experiencing a mental health crisis from campus to a hospital,” wrote Dr. Susie Brubaker-Cole, vice provost for student affairs at Stanford, and Dr. Bina Pulkit Patel, director of counseling and psychological services at Stanford, in an Oct. 13 message to Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU). “We also want to express our gratitude to the many students in and outside of the ASSU who have been committed to raising this issue and addressing this challenge.”
The decision comes amidst a national conversation about police practices after Black Lives Matter protests this summer, including a reexamination of what part police should play, if any, in responding to mental health crises. Campus police departments – and their place in campus mental health care – are undergoing similar scrutiny.
“In many ways, a college campus is a microcosm of the greater community,” said Laura Horne, chief program officer at Active Minds, a nonprofit focused on student mental health. “That’s why we’re seeing renewed interest in really defining the role of police and really figuring out where they can be helpful.”
From her perspective, university leaders need to think about how to make sure campus police participate in mental health interventions only “when necessary, in a limited manner and ideally with the student’s consent.”
Over the past two years, there have been several incidents where interactions between police and students of color experiencing mental health issues have allegedly resulted in use of force. In 2018, a Cambridge police officer allegedly punched Selorm Ohene, a Black student allegedly found naked and acting erratically. According to the Harvard Black Law Students Association, university health services was called but transferred the call to police. Last year, a viral video showed Black student Gianna Wheeler forcibly removed from her apartment by six American University police officers after a mental wellness check, Black Lives Matter DC reported.
