1 research outputs found
A 20âyear followâup survey of police officersâ experience with Tarasoff warnings: How law enforcement reacts to cliniciansâ duty to protect
Since the Tarasoff case of 1976, mental health professionals are recognized to have a âduty to protectâ thirdâparty targets from violenceâthreatening patients, but little is known about what happens after clinicians warn law enforcement. In 2000, Huber et al. published a study that surveyed Michigan police about âTarasoff warnings.â We conducted a 20âyear followâup study, inviting all Michigan police and sheriff departments to participate. There were no significant differences between studies about knowledge of Tarasoffârelated policies, which was low in both surveys. We found significant decreases in the number of officers who had ever intervened due to warning calls. Of the survey respondents, 83% supported documenting warning calls. For those who received warnings, 96% followed up with at least one intervention. In both studies, notifying other officers was the most common action taken. 56% said they would take action to remove a firearm. We identified opportunities for training law enforcement.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/174795/1/bsl2564.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/174795/2/bsl2564_am.pd