SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Local police are working to better manage those with mental health issues. The new alert system, called the Marcus Alert, is designed to help those having a crisis.
It’s a system that cities and counties in the Commonwealth are mandated to have in place in the next few years.
The city of Suffolk plans to have the Marcus Alert in place there by July 1.
“I think it’s going to help in a lot of different ways, from the police department to the fire department through our partnership with [the] Western Tidewater Community Services Board [Crisis Intervention Team] and our 911 Center, I think its going to be a really good thing,” said Suffolk Interim Police Chief James “Danny” Buie.
This alert is especially timely for the city, following a Dec. 30 call in which a young girl holding weapons while having a mental health episode was shot by police.
The Marcus David Peters Act was passed following the death of a biology teacher who was killed by Richmond police in 2018 amid a mental health event.
The Marcus Alert is aimed to coordinate between 911 call centers and those with specialized training to find the best way to respond.
“The goal is to reduce our role in responding to mental health calls so the person gets what they need as quickly as possible,” Buie said.
Buie said when the call comes into 911, the dispatcher will help determine how best to respond and who to send.
“The first goal is to make this a better encounter for the person in crisis,” Buie said, “and with that goal, comes to reduce the role of law enforcement in responding to mental health calls because the question is, do they need a law enforcement response or do they need an evaluation?”
Level 1 could be a person who needs someone to talk to, so the 988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline would handle that call.
Level 2 could be someone having a more serious crisis and may require a team to go assist.
“As you go up in levels, the more serious the call, Level 3 is someone talking about harming themselves or maybe harming someone else and has the means to do it, but hasn’t done it yet,” Buie said, “so that would require like a mobile response team.”
Buie said by the end of next month, 40% of Suffolk Police officers will have gone through Critical Incident Training, which is a 40-hour training that the Western Tidewater Community Services Board provides, and 99% will be first aid and mental health certified. He said this teaches officers how to de-escalate situations and how to handle a mental health crisis.
“It helps them learn that when a mental health crisis is going, there’s more to it than just somebody’s behavior,” Buie said.
A few weeks ago, Suffolk Police Officers were faced with a 15-year-old girl who was holding weapons while having a mental health crisis.
She was shot because police said she moved in a threatening manner toward officers.
We asked if the Marcus Alert was in place then, if the response would’ve been different.
“It wouldn’t have changed the response,” Buie said. “In that situation, the police would’ve responded first because weapons were involved, so the police would’ve responded first to make the scene safe prior to anyone else coming on scene.”
Virginia Beach, Hampton and Newport News already have the Marcus Alert in place in our area.
The remaining cities and counties in Virginia have until July 1, 2028 to implement the Marcus Alert.
10 On Your Side also reached out to the attorney representing the family of the 15-year-old girl to see if they believe this system would’ve made a difference in the response and have yet to hear back.
