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Sacramento Metro Fire district says sheriff's office's new policy change creates danger for crews

Sacramento sheriff's office policy change leads to fire district concerns
Sacramento sheriff's office policy change leads to fire district concerns 04:06

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office is now turning away some calls for help, and mental health advocates and even firefighters are protesting the policy change. 

The impact is being felt by firefighters who will now be left without law enforcement backup as the sheriff's office says it will no longer dispatch deputies to certain 911 calls following a recent federal court ruling about qualified immunity. 

Those situations include someone experiencing a psychotic episode and those who are suicidal — even if they have a gun. 

The ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals revoked officers' legal protection when they respond to calls where no crime is being committed.    

"We're choosing to be very guarded about which incidents like this we do respond to," said Assistant Sheriff Matt Petersen. 

Peterson outlined the policy change at a county commission meeting last week, saying the decision to respond — or not — will now be made by a 911 dispatcher and the watch commander. 

"This is really impacting our ability to deliver service," Peterson said. 

The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said the policy change creates a new danger for their crews. 

"We've had multiple incidents already that have put our folks in harm's way," Metro Fire spokesperson Parker Wilbourn said. 

They rely on sheriff's deputies to make sure a scene is safe before making contact with a patient -- and now -- in some calls -- they're worried that protection may no longer be there. 

"When it comes to life-threatening emergencies, seconds count but we need that scene to be cleared," Wilbourn said. "Our folks are not trained to manage violent people or weapons." 

Elizabeth Hopper has called 911 for help more than a dozen times over the last decade when her adult daughter was having psychotic episodes. 

"When we call, it is a last resort," she said. 

Hopper's against the policy change, saying it leaves family members with few other options to get their loved one emergency psychiatric help. 

"We are determining in that moment, from what we know about our family member, that they are at a moment at risk and we need a response," she said. 

Leslie Gielow Jacobs, a law professor at the UOP McGeorge School of Law, explained that the loss of immunity means individual officers can now be sued for excessive force. 

"The point of it is to try to hold police officers accountable," Jacobs said. 

"The courts have made it very clear that really any use of force is questionable," Peterson said. 

A spokesperson for the sheriff's office said that policy is still being formalized and they couldn't speak on it further until it was. But a memo obtained by CBS13 says the new policies are immediate.

"It feels almost like a knee-jerk reaction response," Hopper said. "It feels like, 'We don't want to take a risk of a lawsuit.' " 

Community members and firefighters now hoping lawmakers will step in and resolve the crisis. 

"We need help," Wilbourn said. 'We need either a legislative effort or the courts to make a decision." 

The sheriff's office memo indicates it's working with the 988 mental crisis hotline to begin transferring these types of calls to them. The county also has a team of community wellness councilors that can respond but only if there are no weapons involved.

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