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Will 988 call the police? Data suggests 1% of mental health crisis calls get “involuntary” rescues

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Many people in mental health crisis fear that if they dial 988, law enforcement might show up or they might be forced to go to the hospital.

But getting sent that kind of “involuntary emergency rescue” happens to around 1% of callers, suggests new data from Vibrant Emotional Health, the administrator of the 988 Lifeline for suicide and mental health crises.

“Involuntary intervention is the last resort. We want to make sure we’re collaborating and engaging with people in crisis and empowering them, so we don’t need to go in that direction,” said Christopher Drapeau, Vibrant’s director of research and evaluation.

A Pew Charitable Trusts survey last year cited by Vibrant’s white paper found that around 1 in 5 adults worry that law enforcement would be sent after them for using 988 or that they might be forced to go to the hospital.

According to 988’s policies, counselors are urged to use “the least invasive intervention” possible to respond to suicide attempts. But if other attempts to deescalate fail, then counselors can summon other emergency response services like an involuntary rescue.

Counselors for 988 do not have the ability to track the exact location of callers. But the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration or SAMHSA, which oversees Vibrant and the hotline, says in “rare situations” that counselors are able to ask a 911 dispatcher to use “geolocation services” to try and find where a call is coming from.

It is not clear from the data what percentage of the “involuntary” rescues relied on police responding to calls, as opposed to paramedics or another kind of emergency response.

“We haven’t been this transparent in the past. So we want to acknowledge that, and show people that this is what we have,” Drapeau told CBS News of the white paper he authored.

Drapeau said the white paper is his team’s first evaluating the performance of 988 and is the most comprehensive look at the topic to date. The idea for the report came from talks with SAMHSA officials.

Law enforcement have often been the go-to for 911 dispatchers responding to suicide attempts. Advocacy groups have called for more jurisdictions to fund “mobile crisis teams” that can respond to suicide attempts with medics and behavioral health professionals, instead of police.

“If somebody attempted suicide during the call and had a medical injury as a result, you need to respond to that. So I don’t know if we could completely abolish all involuntary interventions,” Drapeau said.

“These numbers may not be perfect”

Vibrant’s white paper focuses on two snapshots of data that come largely from when the line was a 1-800 number, before the nationwide launch of the easier-to-remember 988 shortcut to reach a counselor during a mental health crisis.

The largest snapshot in the paper still only spans around 2 million calls made from 2019 through 2023, tallied from a fraction of the now more than 200 locally run crisis centers that underpin the network. 

For context, more than 400,000 calls were routed by the 988 network in July alone.

“We acknowledge the limitations of these data. These numbers may not be perfect. They may differ if we had every single center reporting data, if we had a more precise definition, maybe it changes. But it appears today that the vast majority of 988 calls do not involve emergency services intervention,” said Drapeau. 

Of those nearly 2 million calls, the white paper tallies around 2% resulting in emergency services – both “voluntary” and “involuntary” – being sent in response to calls.

Callers categorized by counselors as being at “imminent risk” of suicide, a much narrower group, had emergency services sent to them at a higher rate.

Among those, a quarter got “voluntary dispatches” — with the consent of the callers — while another quarter got “involuntary” rescues.

Better data is in the works. While current figures rely on a mix of requirements and voluntary reporting, a Vibrant spokesperson said it is working with SAMHSA to develop a national standard for what metrics all centers will be required to report in the future.

A plan drawn up by SAMHSA in April calls for states to submit data to the agency on the number of contacts that result in law enforcement being sent.

Another evaluation planned by Vibrant will try to refine the definition of when to deem a caller at “imminent risk” and how to handle those cases. Completing that evaluation will likely take a couple of years, Drapeau said, and will help them figure out how to move from involuntary to more collaborative interventions.



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The Scott Peterson case: New evidence?

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Laci and Scott Peterson

Evidence photo


What started out as a college romance ended in murder and mystery. 

1994  Scott Peterson and Laci Rocha met in 1994 while both were attending college at California Polytechnic State University. They married two years later. In 2002, Laci became pregnant. The two lived in Modesto, California and planned to raise their unborn son Conner there.

Laci Peterson Missing

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Evidence photo


December 24, 2002 – Scott Peterson says that on Christmas Eve morning, he left his pregnant wife alone to go fishing about 90 miles away at the Berkeley Marina. He says that Laci planned to walk the couple’s dog, McKenzie, and mop the kitchen floor. When Scott returned home hours later, he says he found McKenzie there alone, still wearing a leash – but no sign of Laci. That evening, Laci’s stepfather called the police to report her missing. 

Searching for Laci

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KMAX


Family, friends, and volunteers launched a huge search for Laci Peterson.

Scott Peterson was interviewed by police in the early hours of Christmas Day.  Now-retired Modesto Police Detective Jon Buehler says Scott didn’t seem as interested as one would expect. “Oftentimes, a victim who’s left behind is firing tons of questions at us … And we didn’t get any of that from him,” Buehler told “48 Hours.” 

Amber Frey

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Evidence photo


December 30, 2002 – Less than a week after Laci Peterson went missing, Modesto detectives raced over to investigate an intriguing lead: a Fresno massage therapist named Amber Frey revealed that she had been dating Scott Peterson for over a month. She told police that Peterson had lied to her and said he was single.  

Secret Recordings

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Evidence photo


Former Detective Buehler notes, “Her recall was fantastic. It was almost like it was a script from a Hallmark TV show or something.” Amber Frey recalled every detail of their romantic dates, down to what they were wearing. Hoping for clues that might lead them to the missing woman, detectives ask Frey to record phone calls between her and Scott Peterson, and she agrees.

Affair Revealed

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Evidence photo


January 24, 2003 – In an explosive press conference one month after Laci Peterson goes missing, Amber Frey publicly reveals her affair with Scott Peterson. “I am very sorry for Laci’s family and the pain that this has caused them,” she said. “And I pray for her safe return, as well.” 

Prior to Frey going public, Peterson had told her in a recorded call that he was in Paris when he was really in Modesto while the search for Laci was still on.  Eventually Scott admitted to her, “I’ve lied to you that I’ve been traveling.” Those recorded calls would later become part of a damning case against Peterson.

Bodies Found

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CBS News


April 13 and 14, 2003 – Two bodies are found on the shores of the San Francisco Bay. They are later identified as Laci Peterson and her unborn child. The two bodies were found about a mile apart. 

Scott Peterson Arrested

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Evidence photo


April 18, 2003 – Authorities caught up with Scott Peterson at a golf course in San Diego and arrested him. Authorities found a wad of cash, his brother’s ID card, and multiple cell phones inside the vehicle. Days later, Peterson pleaded not guilty to two counts of capital murder.  

Trial and Error

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AP


June 1, 2004 – Scott Peterson’s trial begins in San Mateo County, California. Because of massive publicity the trial was moved from Modesto to Redwood City, in San Mateo County. The decision was made because the judge decided it would be difficult for Peterson to get a fair trial too close to home, where emotions were running high.

High Suspicions

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AP


August 10, 2004 – In what many consider a major turning point of the trial, Amber Frey took the stand for the first time to tell the jury about her relationship with Scott Peterson, a secretly married man, and about all the lies he told her. Frey painted a picture of a dishonest man who could tell falsehoods with ease, hurting his credibility. 

Jurors heard the lies for themselves in those recorded phone calls Frey made.

Justice for Laci and Conner

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AP


November 12, 2004 – Scott Peterson was found guilty of first-degree murder for the death of his wife Laci and second-degree murder for the death of his unborn son Conner. Crowds outside cheer.  

Peterson Jurors

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CBS News


March 16, 2005 – Four months after his conviction, Scott Peterson is sentenced to death.  At a press conference, Juror No. 7, Richelle Nice, [pictured center] called Peterson a “jerk” and commented “San Quentin is your new home,” referring to the prison where he would serve his sentence. Nice was nicknamed “Strawberry Shortcake” during the trial because of her hair color.  

Death Sentence Overturned

Scott Peterson 2018 mug shot

AP


August 24, 2020 – After two appeals, Scott Peterson’s death sentence was overturned by the California Supreme Court after deciding that the original trial judge made a mistake when jurors were being picked for trial. The result of that mistake, Peterson’s supporters say, was that the jury was stacked with pro death penalty jurors. Peterson, shown here in 2018, will now receive a new trial for only the sentence phase.

The court upheld his murder convictions.

Juror No. 7

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AP


October 14, 2020 – The California Supreme Court orders a lower court to reexamine Peterson’s murder convictions and decide if he should get an entire new trial. Scott Peterson’s supporters say it all comes down to the actions of that juror once nicknamed “Strawberry Shortcake” – Richelle Nice, pictured here in 2005. 

During jury selection, prospective jurors filled out a questionnaire asking if they had in the past been in a lawsuit and if they had been crime victims.  Nice checked no.  “It’s pretty clear… that she lied to us straight to our face about her own situation,” Peterson’s current attorney Pat Harris told “48 Hours.”  In fact, Nice was involved in two domestic disputes in the past. But prosecutors say when Nice filled out that questionnaire she didn’t lie, she just didn’t think her past experiences were relevant to the questions and didn’t see herself as a victim. Now a lower court will consider if Peterson will get a complete retrial.  Richelle Nice declined to speak with “48 Hours.”

New Evidence?

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CBS News


March 7, 2021 – CBS News’ Jonathan Vigliotti interviewed Scott Peterson’s sister-in-law Janey Peterson in her “war room” of evidence she claims proves his innocence. She claims witnesses saw Laci walking in the neighborhood near the Peterson home after the time Scott said he left for the fishing trip. If that’s true, Scott couldn’t have killed Laci.

Scott Peterson’s attorney explains, “there’s been a lot of criticism because we didn’t call some witnesses who saw Laci that day,” and that the thought process at the time was that “a number of the witnesses who saw her didn’t have great – memories or had contra  – were contradicting each other.”  

Retired detective Jon Buehler says there are no witnesses who saw Laci alive that morning.  He says there were other young women in the neighborhood who were pregnant and looked similar to Laci, and that “it would be real easy for somebody to mistakenly see one of those three girls as being Laci.”  Still, Janey Peterson insists that Scott is innocent. 

A Burglary

Steven Todd and Donald Pearce

Modesto Police Department


Perhaps more important to a new defense case is what Janey Peterson believes actually happened to Laci. She points to a burglary she believes happened on the same day Laci disappeared, right across the street from the Peterson home. Scott Peterson’s supporters theorize that Laci confronted the burglars and that ended badly.  But police quickly arrested the burglars – Steven Todd and Donald Pearce  – pictured here in a 2003 Modesto Police Department press release. 

Awaiting a Decision

Scott and Laci Peterson

Court evidence


April 27, 2021 – Scott Peterson appeared in court remotely for a status hearing on a new death penalty trial. 

Dec. 8, 2021: Scott Peterson was resentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the deaths of his wife and unborn child.

2024: The Los Angeles Innocence Project  took up Peterson’s fight for a new trial.  Since then, a California judge has granted his defense team access to previously undisclosed evidence as well as permission to do additional DNA testing.

Peterson and his supporters maintain the wrong man is in prison for Laci and Conner’s deaths.  According to Detective Buehler, “Well, I guess it’s possible. But you know, there’s still people that believe the Earth is flat too.”



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Will the bill to avert a government shutdown pass without Trump’s support?

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Will the bill to avert a government shutdown pass without Trump’s support? – CBS News


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For the second time in three months, Congress is facing a fast-approaching deadline to pass a short-term funding bill to prevent a government shutdown. President-elect Donald Trump and some other Republican lawmakers have spoken out against it. Meanwhile, Trump has suggested that members of the now-disbanded House Jan. 6 committee should be criminally targetted. CBS News’ Hunter Woodall and Ed O’Keefe have more details.

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Why is there new hope for a ceasefire in Gaza?

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Why is there new hope for a ceasefire in Gaza? – CBS News


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There is fresh optimism in the Middle East that a ceasefire deal in the Israel-Hamas war is closer than ever. CBS News’ Chris Livesay reports. Then, Jon Alterman, senior vice president and director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, joins “The Daily Report” to analyze why.

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