BILL REQ. #:  H-1659.1 

Read first time 02/19/2003.   Referred to Committee on Criminal Justice & Corrections.

     AN ACT Relating to mental illness; amending RCW 71.05.150; adding a new section to chapter 43.101 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 43.101 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The criminal justice training commission shall develop training for local law enforcement agencies targeted toward developing collaborative approaches to dealing with individuals with mental illness. The purpose of the training is to facilitate cooperative mental health-police efforts and enhanced community protection by establishing crisis intervention protocols, de-escalating potentially volatile situations, assessing an individual's medication information and relevant history, and evaluating an individuals's social support system. The training shall include but not be limited to conflict management, ethnic sensitivity, cultural awareness, and effective crisis intervention techniques.
     (2) Local law enforcement agencies are encouraged to form mental health-police partnerships. These partnerships are encouraged to organize citizen-police task forces which meet on a regular basis to promote greater citizen involvement in addressing the unique challenges posed by individuals with a mental illness. Partnerships that are formed are encouraged to report to the criminal justice training commission of their formation and progress.

Sec. 2   RCW 71.05.150 and 1998 c 297 s 8 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1)(a) When a county designated mental health professional receives information alleging that a person, as a result of a mental disorder: (i) Presents a likelihood of serious harm; or (ii) is gravely disabled; the county designated mental health professional may, after investigation and evaluation of the specific facts alleged and of the reliability and credibility of any person providing information to initiate detention, if satisfied that the allegations are true and that the person will not voluntarily seek appropriate treatment, file a petition for initial detention. Before filing the petition, the county designated mental health professional must personally interview the person, unless the person refuses an interview, and determine whether the person will voluntarily receive appropriate evaluation and treatment at an evaluation and treatment facility.
     (b) Whenever it appears, by petition for initial detention, to the satisfaction of a judge of the superior court that a person presents, as a result of a mental disorder, a likelihood of serious harm, or is gravely disabled, and that the person has refused or failed to accept appropriate evaluation and treatment voluntarily, the judge may issue an order requiring the person to appear within twenty-four hours after service of the order at a designated evaluation and treatment facility for not more than a seventy-two hour evaluation and treatment period. The order shall state the address of the evaluation and treatment facility to which the person is to report and whether the required seventy-two hour evaluation and treatment services may be delivered on an outpatient or inpatient basis and that if the person named in the order fails to appear at the evaluation and treatment facility at or before the date and time stated in the order, such person may be involuntarily taken into custody for evaluation and treatment. The order shall also designate retained counsel or, if counsel is appointed from a list provided by the court, the name, business address, and telephone number of the attorney appointed to represent the person.
     (c) The county designated mental health professional shall then serve or cause to be served on such person, his or her guardian, and conservator, if any, a copy of the order to appear together with a notice of rights and a petition for initial detention. After service on such person the county designated mental health professional shall file the return of service in court and provide copies of all papers in the court file to the evaluation and treatment facility and the designated attorney. The county designated mental health professional shall notify the court and the prosecuting attorney that a probable cause hearing will be held within seventy-two hours of the date and time of outpatient evaluation or admission to the evaluation and treatment facility. The person shall be permitted to remain in his or her home or other place of his or her choosing prior to the time of evaluation and shall be permitted to be accompanied by one or more of his or her relatives, friends, an attorney, a personal physician, or other professional or religious advisor to the place of evaluation. An attorney accompanying the person to the place of evaluation shall be permitted to be present during the admission evaluation. Any other individual accompanying the person may be present during the admission evaluation. The facility may exclude the individual if his or her presence would present a safety risk, delay the proceedings, or otherwise interfere with the evaluation.
     (d) If the person ordered to appear does appear on or before the date and time specified, the evaluation and treatment facility may admit such person as required by RCW 71.05.170 or may provide treatment on an outpatient basis. If the person ordered to appear fails to appear on or before the date and time specified, the evaluation and treatment facility shall immediately notify the county designated mental health professional who may notify a peace officer to take such person or cause such person to be taken into custody and placed in an evaluation and treatment facility. Should the county designated mental health professional notify a peace officer authorizing him or her to take a person into custody under the provisions of this subsection, he or she shall file with the court a copy of such authorization and a notice of detention. At the time such person is taken into custody there shall commence to be served on such person, his or her guardian, and conservator, if any, a copy of the original order together with a notice of detention, a notice of rights, and a petition for initial detention.
     (2) When a county designated mental health professional receives information alleging that a person, as the result of a mental disorder, presents an imminent likelihood of serious harm, or is in imminent danger because of being gravely disabled, after investigation and evaluation of the specific facts alleged and of the reliability and credibility of the person or persons providing the information if any, the county designated mental health professional may take such person, or cause by oral or written order such person to be taken into emergency custody in an evaluation and treatment facility for not more than seventy-two hours as described in RCW 71.05.180.
     (3) A peace officer may take such person or cause such person to be taken into custody and placed in an evaluation and treatment facility pursuant to subsection (1)(d) of this section.
     (4) A peace officer may, without prior notice of the proceedings provided for in subsection (1) of this section, take or cause such person to be taken into custody and immediately delivered to an evaluation and treatment facility or the emergency department of a local hospital:
     (a) Only pursuant to subsections (1)(d) and (2) of this section; or
     (b) When he or she has reasonable cause to believe that such person is suffering from a mental disorder and presents an imminent likelihood of serious harm or is in imminent danger because of being gravely disabled.
     (5) Persons delivered to evaluation and treatment facilities by peace officers pursuant to subsection (4)(b) of this section may be held by the facility for a period of up to twelve hours: PROVIDED, That they are examined by a mental health professional within three hours of their arrival. Within twelve hours of their arrival, the county designated mental health professional must file a supplemental petition for detention, and commence service on the designated attorney for the detained person.
     (6) A person detained and taken into custody under this section by a county designated mental health professional or a peace officer shall not be charged with assault if physically resisting under diminished capacity conditions and at least one of the following conditions is present:
     (a) Proper and adequate crisis intervention training for detaining a person with mental illness was not provided to the detaining person;
     (b) No permanent bodily harm was done to the detaining person;
     (c) The detainee was psychotic at the time he or she was taken into custody;
     (d) The detainee was acting in a defensive manner; or
     (e) The detainee was not armed.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   This act may be known and cited as the Shawn Bryan act.