Cleveland City Council’s safety committee approved on Wednesday downgrading a new office that would send mental health workers to nonviolent 911 calls to a bureau within EMS as part of legislation being considered by council.
It's part of Tanisha's Law, an ordinance named after Tanisha Anderson who died in 2014 during a mental health crisis. Responding officers restrained Anderson, causing her to lose consciousness.
Officers did not provide medical assistance until a supervisor arrived.
Public Safety Director Wayne Drummond says a Deputy Commissioner of EMS position has been created to oversee the new bureau.
“So, we are excited about this and working with council as well as the community to get this program off and running,” said Drummond.
The original proposal by Councilmembers Stephanie Howse-Jones and Charles Slife and former Councilmember Rebecca Maurer was to create a stand-alone department, separate from the Department of Public Safety, to oversee mental health response in Cleveland. It was created with help from Case Western Reserve University law students and Michael Anderson, the uncle of Tanisha Anderson.
The original ordinance called for the creation of a cabinet-level Department of Community Crisis Response. It required the deployment of non-police, city-employed mental health care workers to 911 calls that did not require a police response.
During a December council hearing, the ordinance’s authors estimated the initial cost to set up the department at $800,000 and around $3 million a year once it’s up and running.
Council President Blaine Griffin said the change should lower the yearly cost.
“Which is a good thing because we actually get to do it and implement which I think is necessary to do but we also don’t jeopardize our budgeting,” said Griffin.
The Bibb administration opposed the initial plan to create a new department but was forced to negotiate when council made it clear the ordinance would be moving forward.
“The train’s leaving the station, we’re going to take action,” Safety Committee Chair Michael Polensek told administration officials during a hearing in December. “So, you can either get on board, or you get run over.”
The legislation now goes to Finance Committee before a vote by full council.
