WHEREAS, the members of the Florida Police Chiefs Association seek to improve the quality of life for individuals with mental illness, and improve officer safety, and

WHEREAS, the State of Florida, through the Florida Mental Health Act, Florida Statutes 394.4625 (Baker Act), limits medical treatment to those individuals that are a danger to themselves or others (threat of substantial harm to self and/or the substantial likelihood of serious personal bodily harm), and

WHEREAS, in the year 2000, under the provisions of the Baker Act, Florida law enforcement officers initiated approximately 36,000 (or 44 percent) of the nearly 82,000 involuntary psychiatric examinations, and

WHEREAS, members of the Florida Police Chiefs Association believe that the consequences of non-treatment of a severe mental illness such as incarceration, suicide, homelessness, victimization, aggravated symptoms, and violence can be significantly reduced through the revision of the Baker Act, and

WHEREAS, the State of Florida, unlike the vast majority (41) of other states, fails to provide court-ordered community treatment (assisted outpatient treatment) for individuals who refuse needed psychiatric treatment for a severe mental illness, and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Florida Police Chiefs Association strongly supports legislation which will revise and strengthen the Florida Mental Health Act (Baker Act) to allow for court ordered community treatment to individuals who refuse to accept needed treatment for a severe mental illness.

PASSED AND ADOPTED THIS 13th DAY OF JANUARY, 2002, AT A MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE FLORIDA POLICE CHIEFS ASSOCIATION, IN ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA.