Advocates sue Worcester over response to mental health 911 calls, alleging discrimination

"When Worcester residents experience a mental health emergency, such as suicidal ideation or post-traumatic stress episodes, the City's default response to a 911 call is to send armed police officers who are not qualified to perform the core functions of an emergency mental health response. Armed police, by their presence alone, can escalate individuals in a mental health crisis."

"Worcester officers also restrained a 10-year-old boy with autism face-down at school drop-off, placing a knee on the boy's neck and fracturing his arm, the plaintiffs claim. In 2025, a 14-year-old boy with mental health disabilities and autism was physically restrained for several minutes and handcuffed, the lawsuit alleges."

"When 911 receives physical health calls, like for a heart attack, dispatchers send health responders like EMTs or paramedics, the lawsuit says, while a mental health emergency prompts a default response of armed police officers sent to all thousands of welfare check calls the department receives each year."

Worcester's 911 dispatch system sends armed police officers to 100 percent of mental health emergency calls, including welfare checks and crises involving suicidal ideation or trauma. Advocates argue this practice discriminates against people with mental health disabilities by failing to provide appropriate care. Armed police presence escalates individuals already in crisis. Multiple incidents document violence resulting from this policy, including a 10-year-old boy with autism restrained face-down with a knee on his neck, sustaining a fractured arm, and a 14-year-old with autism and mental health disabilities physically restrained and handcuffed. The Center for Public Representation filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of mental health advocacy organizations challenging this discriminatory practice.

Read at Boston.com