San Antonio vs. Denver: Different systems with similar goals for mental health crisis response [Video]

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Police Department Chief William McManus said crisis response teams were long overdue to answer mental health calls coming into 911.

“Police officers were never equipped to deal with mental health calls,” McManus said. “We are not the expert.”

These teams are staffed with health officials to address physical and mental needs during crises.

There is no one-size-fits-all model for creating a team well-equipped for this work. It’s up to each city to design its unit fit for each community.

Doug Beach, the executive director of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Greater San Antonio, said San Antonio and Denver run different systems with similar goals.

KSAT rode along with the programs in San Antonio and Denver to see how each unit functions.

The story below contains conversations about suicidal thoughts and ideations.

A look behind San Antonio’s SA CORE program

“I have attempted suicide I don’t know how many times in my life,” an unidentified …