That has increased, which means that the numbers of uninsured patients it is able to see are shrinking. Lieutenant Cain of the HPD hostage negotiating team projects tones of frustration and resignation. It is his group, working with SWAT, that is called upon when a troubled person makes his stand. When things go wrong and the mentally ill person ends up getting shot by police, then police are blamed. When things go right and the person is talked into surrendering and is taken to a mental health facility, relief is short-lived because of the revolving door of almost instant release.
Officers enter the scene from the start at a disadvantage.
Police are there as a last resort, Cain says. We're coming in after everyone else has failed. Nationally, violent public incidents are on the upswing. Locally, a lot of people are not able to get the services they need, he says. It's just not a priority.