New initiative aims to reduce trauma by replacing law enforcement with specialized providers in mental health crisis response
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina health officials are seeking solutions through a groundbreaking $20 million program to remove law enforcement from mental health crisis transportation, marking a significant shift in how the state handles involuntary commitments.
The initiative, announced by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, will replace police officers with specialized trauma-informed providers for transporting individuals experiencing mental health emergencies to treatment facilities.
“Police officers should not be handling mental health and suicide, addiction calls,” Fonda Bryant, a mental health advocate who was taken to a facility in handcuffs three decades ago, said.
Now an advocate for helping others, Bryant emphasized the program’s potential to reduce the stigma around seeking mental health care. The change comes after several incidents highlighted the risks of law enforcement involvement in mental health crisis response.
In 2022, a woman in Charlotte was fatally shot by a CMPD officer after firing multiple shots during an attempted involuntary commitment order service.
Dan Redford, the president of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police, supports the policy change, noting the current system’s traumatic impact on individuals in crisis.
“They’re already experiencing a mental health crisis, and then all of a sudden you got the police showing up with handcuffs on them,” Redford said. “It’s often hard to distinguish between them being arrested versus getting transported to a mental health facility for treatment.”
The program represents a portion of North Carolina’s broader $835 million investment in transforming the state’s behavioral health system. Officials say the initiative aims to build a more responsive crisis network while providing faster access to care.
Initially, the non-law enforcement transportation program will operate in two regions of the state, selected through a competitive proposal process. These pilot regions will serve as testing grounds for the new approach.
Bryant, reflecting on her journey from being handcuffed during a mental health crisis to becoming an advocate, sees the program as a crucial step forward.
“My goal and my hope is to get rid of that stigma so people will feel comfortable and ready to go get the help,” she said. “We can recover and we can live a good life.”
The state is currently accepting proposals from qualified transportation vendors through the NCDHHS website, though specific launch dates for the pilot programs have not yet been announced.
Contact Myles Harris at mharris5@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
If you or a loved one are facing thoughts of suicide or self-harm, there is help readily available. You can call Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat with them online. There are also resources in North Carolina available here and in South Carolina available here.
