More Pgh Police Are Making the Call for Involuntary Psych Care

Despite nationwide calls for police to be less involved in responding to mental health crises, new reporting shows Pittsburgh officers are actually filing more 302 petitions — for involuntary psychiatric commitment — than just a few years ago. The overall number of petitions increased by 21% from 2015 to 2021, but the number filed by police grew more than any other group.

PublicSource health reporter Amelia Winger joins us to talk about her reporting digging into the data and why it’s difficult to pinpoint what’s behind the rise in 302s.

You can read Amelia’s reporting on what could be causing the rise here: https://www.publicsource.org/allegheny-county-302-involuntary-outpatient-treatment-western-psych-mental-health-pa/

And you can find her story looking into police involvement here: https://www.publicsource.org/police-intervention-behavioral-health-crisis-response-pittsburgh-allegheny-302-involuntary/

Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh!