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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Southern Oregon National Guard regiment returns from Afghanistan ... Medford man sentenced for role in drive-by shooting ... Water Commission fined for dumping chlorinated water into Lone Pine Creek ... Southern Oregon National Guard regiment returns from Afghanistan ... Medford man sentenced for role in drive-by shooting ... Water Commission fined for dumping chlorinated water into Lone Pine Creek ... OUR VIEW Our View: Increasingly, cops must be mental health workers Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jun. 23, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Jun. 23, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Local police, courts and corrections officials are concerned about what appears to be a dramatic increase in mental health crisis situations taxing police officers and jail staff who must deal with the affected individuals. County health officials agree more services are needed, but they downplay the mental health aspect, saying many situations turn out to be the result of drug and alcohol intoxication, not necessarily mental illness. Medford police say their calls for mental health holds have increased 17 percent in the past year, and suicides and attempted suicides are up 35 percent. It's hard to argue with those statistics, even if some of the calls turn out not to involve mental illness. And the fact that people suffering from mental illness may self-medicate with alcohol and drugs means a call may involve intoxication and mental illness at the same time. Regardless of the ultimate diagnosis, the impact on police officers in the field is clear. Medford officers have killed three people in the past year, two of whom were described as mentally ill. The third incident is still under investigation, but the subject in that case was reportedly suicidal over a relationship breakup when he exchanged gunfire with a police officer. Meanwhile, Jackson County Jail officials are reviewing an annual grand jury report that recommends the jail beef up its mental health programs. Jail deputies told the grand jury they are increasingly required to place prisoners on suicide watches, which strain staff resources because a deputy must check suicidal prisoners every 15 minutes. One memo to the grand jury said the jail is increasingly functioning as a "secondary mental health facility" — not the best use of a county jail. A big reason for that characterization is that the region's primary mental health facility — the Behavioral Health Unit at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center known as Two North — has only 18 beds, which are often full. Police forces throughout the county are undergoing training in how to recognize mental health issues and defuse crisis situations. More of that training is planned, and that's a positive step. But officer training alone won't solve the larger problem: There isn't enough room to house people in crisis short of putting them in jail, and the jail has space problems of its own. Until funding is found to create more safe spaces for people in crisis, and more trained health professionals can be hired, the situation will continue to put stress on police, jail staff and court personnel.        MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jun. 23, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501