What can I do if you want the police to help and you don’t want the person to be hurt? Well, the first thing you can do is if you’re in a major city, ask if they have a psychological response team.

Every major city has one. They don’t bring guns. They don’t bring weapons. They come and they talk. There’s a specialized unit that does this. In San Diego they’re called the PERT team. In L.A. they’re called the PET team. There’s always the “P” at the beginning, which is for psychological.

Essentially, what these individuals have learned is that in terms of years, and years, and years of dealing with this type of situation, there are ways to talk to people who are having a rough day. There are ways to talk to people who are off their meds. There are ways to handle the situation. That’s the first thing. If you’re calling 9-1-1, that’s the first thing.

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