In a unanimous decision by the Cleveland City Council, 'Tanisha's Law' was passed, marking a significant shift in the city's approach to handling mental health crises. Named after Tanisha Anderson, who tragically died in police custody in 2014, this law ushers in a new Bureau of Community Crisis Response. According to a Cleveland 19 report, the legislation was championed by councilmembers Stephanie Howse-Jones and Charles Slife, alongside former member Rebecca Maurer, aiming to provide an alternative option to traditional emergency services for mental health-related calls.
Tanisha's Law represents over ten years of advocacy by the Anderson family, particularly Michael Anderson, Tanisha's uncle. "Tonight it’s like a resurrection for the family," Anderson said in a statement obtained by Cleveland 19. The ordinance, which aims to reduce unnecessary police intervention, will field nonviolent 911 calls through an office equipped with specially trained dispatchers and licensed social workers.
As per ideastream, Tanisha's Law builds on a series of police reforms designed to do away with the kinds of excessive use of force identified by a DOJ investigation into Cleveland police back in 2014. An aspect of the law involves the training of dispatchers to redirect certain calls to behavioral health professionals, social workers, and clinicians, as opposed to law enforcement officers.
