NYPD cops will have to stop referring to dangerously unhinged people as “EDPs” — short for “emotionally disturbed persons” — as part of a $37 million program to deal with serious mental-health emergencies, according to a new report on Monday.
The long-established lingo will be abandoned in favor of “mental health calls,” sources told The City website, which described the change in terminology as one of the “key elements” of a plan by Mayor Bill de Blasio to reform how cops deal with mentally ill people.
“One in five New Yorkers suffers from a mental health condition. It’s our job to reach those people before crisis strikes,” de Blasio said in a statement announcing the new spending.
The plan calls for creating a “Behavioral Health Unit” in the NYPD and establishing “Co-Response Teams” of cops and mental-health workers who will respond to emergency calls in two “high-need” precincts in Manhattan and The Bronx.
“This will be the first time mental health professionals will be part of the City’s response to 911; currently, the only 911 deployment options are police and EMS,” according to a City Hall news release.
NYPD sources blasted the reported directive to alter their language.
“What the f–k difference does it make what we call them? It’s the same thing,” one cop said.
Another cop questioned how City Hall could enforce the rule.
“You have a cop who’s been calling people EDPs for 20 years. How’s he supposed to stop?” the source said.
“Enough with the Kumbaya. How about taking care of the main problem, which is a lack of mental-health care?”
NYPD sources also said that sending civilian workers to deal with people who were out of control was a recipe for disaster.
“When you respond to these jobs, the person is non-compliant. Now you’ve gotta worry about yourself and someone who has no law-enforcement experience? It becomes very dangerous,” one cop said.
“God forbid you’re a cop and you allow one of these civilians to get hurt.”
Another cop predicted that “some innocent person is going to die real soon with this program.”