Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued Executive Directive No. 21 on September 24, 2026, ordering an independent and comprehensive evaluation of the Los Angeles Police Department's policies, training, and practices for responding to people experiencing mental and behavioral health crises.
The directive requires the Board of Police Commissioners to retain an independent firm with expertise in constitutional policing and mental and behavioral health crisis response. The firm will examine LAPD uses of force and custodial arrests resulting in death or serious bodily injury over the past five years, assess officer training and available tools, and evaluate the department's mental wellness resources for personnel.
"There is a severe shortage of mental and behavioral health care, and too many people in crisis have nowhere to turn. People cycle between the streets, emergency rooms, and detention facilities, and too often come into contact with law enforcement," Bass said. "That's why I'm ordering an independent review of how the LAPD responds to people in crisis so we can ensure officers have the training and tools they need to respond safely and save lives."
Recommendations are due to the Mayor's Office and the Board of Police Commissioners within six months of hiring the firm. The evaluation will look at how officers identify people in crisis, including people with intellectual or physical disabilities such as autism or deafness, and those under the influence of illegal substances. It will review both incidents that ended in force and those resolved without it.
The directive also examines custodial and detention-facility protocols, including restraint practices and procedures for transferring detainees to medical care, as well as the department's short- and long-term mental health support for officers following critical incidents. The evaluation is intended for organizational learning and prospective improvement and will not involve current open cases or determinations made through existing department, Police Commission, prosecutorial, or judicial processes.
According to the directive, decades of systemic disinvestment in mental and behavioral health services have created a severe shortage of care, leaving individuals in acute crisis with virtually nowhere to turn. The overarching goal of the evaluation is to provide recommendations to improve public safety and save lives.