CHIEF KINGSBURY’S STATEMENT REGARDING POLICE RESPONSE TO MENTAL HEALTH SITUATIONS

Prepared by: Chief of Police William Kingsbury

Date: July 29, 2026

The Medway Police Department takes its response to individuals experiencing mental health crises very seriously. Our approach is based on training, partnerships, compassion, and adherence to both Massachusetts law and nationally recognized best practices.

Several years ago, the Medway Police Department successfully completed the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) One Mind Campaign pledge. This national initiative encourages law enforcement agencies to improve their response to persons affected by mental illness by committing to four important goals:

• Establish a sustainable partnership with one or more community mental health organizations.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive policy governing police response to persons affected by mental illness.
• Ensure 100% of sworn officers receive Mental Health First Aid training.
• Provide Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training to at least 20% of sworn personnel.

The Medway Police Department exceeded each of these goals.

We maintain an ongoing partnership with Community Impact of Milford, which provides mental health and substance use services to Medway residents through programs funded by the Medway Board of Health and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Earlier this year, we also reestablished our embedded Mental Health Clinician Program, which is now fully staffed. Our clinician responds directly with officers, conducts field evaluations, assists with crisis intervention, connects individuals with services, and provides valuable follow-up after police involvement.

Our policies are based on nationally recognized best practices and are currently being updated, along with many of our other policies. Once finalized, they will be publicly available on the department's website.

Every sworn officer in the department has completed Mental Health First Aid training. Each newly hired officer attends this training as soon as it becomes available after graduating from the police academy. In addition, 96% of our officers have completed Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training, nearly five times the percentage required by the One Mind Campaign. New officers also attend CIT training as soon as practicable after completing the academy.

Many people are surprised by how often police officers respond to mental health-related calls. These incidents rarely receive public attention or comment from me unless they affect the broader community.

Last year, Medway officers responded to at least 107 documented mental health-related calls for service. However, this figure does not capture the full scope of the department’s mental health-related response. It excludes additional follow-up contacts, community engagement efforts, and other related encounters that may not have been classified as mental health calls. To date, officers have responded to 164 documented mental health-related calls this year. These figures also exclude incidents involving individuals living with mental health conditions when mental health was not the primary reason for the police response.

It is important to remember that thousands of Massachusetts residents, including hundreds of Medway residents, live with mental health conditions. Mental health conditions alone do not make someone dangerous or necessitate police involvement. When officers are called, it is often because a family member, neighbor, or other community member is concerned that someone may be in crisis and needs immediate assistance.

In many of those cases, officers determine that the person's behavior, while perhaps unusual or concerning, does not meet the legal standard for police intervention. Mental illness alone is not grounds for taking someone into custody.

Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 123, Section 12 authorizes a police officer, under limited emergency circumstances, to restrain and transport an individual for an involuntary mental health evaluation when failure to do so would create a likelihood of serious harm to themselves or others. Police officers are the only non-medical professionals granted this authority under Massachusetts law, which is why firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics cannot independently make that decision.

The legal standard is intentionally high. An officer must reasonably believe that failing to restrain the individual would create a likelihood of serious harm due to the individual's mental health challenge. This authority removes an individual's liberty and subjects them to involuntary evaluation, making it one of the most significant decisions an officer may make.

Our embedded clinician is an invaluable resource during these incidents. The clinician assists officers with evaluating individuals in the field, exploring alternatives to involuntary commitment whenever appropriate, and connecting individuals with voluntary services whenever possible.

When officers encounter a person suspected of committing a crime who also appears to be experiencing a mental health crisis, they must determine whether the individual meets the legal criteria for a Section 12 evaluation. If the legal standard is met, officers will generally seek emergency mental health treatment first, then pursue criminal charges later, through a summons or arrest warrant, when appropriate.

If the legal standard is not met, officers cannot use the Section 12 process solely because a person has, or is believed to have, a mental health condition. Any further action must be based on the person’s conduct, the circumstances of the incident, and the same laws that apply to every member of the public. Depending on those circumstances, the appropriate response may be an arrest, a criminal summons or no criminal enforcement action when Massachusetts law does not authorize one.

When individuals do not meet the criteria for involuntary evaluation, officers and our clinician routinely offer voluntary services and referrals. Unfortunately, the law does not permit police to compel treatment simply because someone may benefit from it. Unless the legal threshold for involuntary evaluation has been met, individuals retain the right to decline services.

This can be one of the most challenging aspects of mental health response for individuals, families, community members, and first responders. People may understandably question why more could not be done, even when officers and clinicians have made repeated efforts to help. Services may be accepted for a period of time, declined, or may not fully meet the person’s needs. Unless the legal standard for involuntary intervention is met, the individual retains the right to make their own decisions about treatment. These legal limitations should not be mistaken for a lack of compassion, concern, or effort.

It is equally important to recognize that mental illness neither excuses nor necessarily explains criminal behavior. The vast majority of individuals living with mental illness never commit crimes. When crimes do occur, officers must determine whether they are witnessing a genuine mental health crisis or criminal conduct unrelated to mental illness. Courts, not police officers, ultimately determine what role, if any, mental health plays in criminal responsibility.

Our officers develop extensive familiarity with many individuals through repeated contact over the years. That experience often helps them distinguish between a person's normal baseline behavior and signs of a genuine mental health emergency requiring intervention.

As Chief, I review every report on these incidents and frequently hear directly from the individuals involved, their families, and community members who witnessed our officers' actions. I can say without hesitation that our officers’ approach these calls with professionalism, compassion, patience, and respect for the individual's dignity and constitutional rights. Many have been formally recognized for their exceptional handling of these difficult situations.

These calls are among the most challenging that law enforcement officers face. They require officers to balance compassion with public safety, individual liberty with legal responsibility, and immediate crisis response with long-term treatment needs that often extend beyond police authority.

It is easy to draw conclusions about a police response without knowing all the facts or understanding the legal limitations under which officers must operate. When those conclusions unfairly question our officers’ professionalism, judgment, or compassion, it is important to recognize that the public may see only a small part of a much more complex situation.

Our officers and clinicians navigate these situations every day with professionalism, compassion, and respect for the individuals involved. I am proud of the work they do on behalf of some of our community’s most vulnerable residents. Much of that work occurs quietly, away from public attention, and many of their successes will be known only to the individuals and families whose lives they have touched.