A wellness check (also known as a welfare check or a Safe and Well check) is an in-person visit from one or more law enforcement officers, especially in response to a request from a friend or family member who is concerned about the person's wellbeing.[1][2][3][4]
Reasons for wellness checks
editA wellness check may be conducted if a person's loved one has stopped responding, someone with suicidal tendencies has been acting suspiciously, or someone has deviated from regular plans in a concerning manner.[3] Usually, a wellness check is requested for law enforcement to confirm the safety of an elderly loved one. In some circumstances, a wellness check is used for concerned bystanders on the accounts of suspected domestic violence or substance abuse.[5]
By country
editCanada
editIn Canada, in addition to feeding information back to the individual that requested the check, descriptions of what happened during these wellness checks as well as details of the surrounding area are listed on the Subject Behavior/ Officer Response (SB/OR) report. This report is often used for Canadian policy development.[6]
In order to respond to wellness calls, officers have to be properly and extensively trained for any task that may occur during a wellness check. For example, they have to be fully aware of alarming health signs related to both physical and mental unwellness.[6] This training ensures that all wellness check requests and operations are performed in a uniform way, as officers must always follow direct protocol.[6] Extensive mental illness training is provided to officers online through a program called Crisis Intervention and De-escalation (CID) training. This training is mandatory for all officers.[6]
United Kingdom
editIn the United Kingdom, following a request for a "Safe and Well" check, police are required to locate people at risk of harm and seek to manage any safeguarding risks. Police officers are required to establish a person's location and ascertain whether the individual is alive, breathing, and conscious but are limited to finding an individual, calling for medical assessment of people who are found where necessary, and feeding back this information to the person or organization that has requested the check.[7]
In the United Kingdom, if law enforcement receives no response during a wellness check after knocking on the subject's door, they are lawfully able to search about the subject's property.[8]
United States
editIn the United States, if law enforcement receives no response during a wellness check after knocking on the subject's door, they are lawfully able to search about the subject's property.[9][3]
This is hazardous duty. According to a March 2024 study by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, "Calls to police to check on the well-being of individuals were 74 percent more likely to be associated with fatal injury than police responses to an incident where shots had already been fired. This includes wellness checks that did not explicitly involve threats or harm before an encounter with police."[10] (Furthermore, as per the National Institute of Health 33 percent of deaths occur at home; such deaths which are unattended require an investigation by a coroner.[11]
Notable occurrences
editIn 2018, American comedian Pete Davidson posted a message to his Instagram that led fans to be concerned for his mental well-being. The New York Police Department conducted a wellness check with Davidson.[12]
Also in 2018, actress Vanessa Marquez was shot and killed by police in a wellness check requested by a neighbor; in mental distress, she had advanced on them with a replica of a gun, begging them to kill her.[13]
In 2024 computer scientist Ward Christensen, inventor of the BBS, was found deceased in his home after his friends requested a wellness check. [14]
In November of 2024, police found 26-year-old OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji dead in his apartment in San Francisco, California, United States when they arrived there to conduct a wellbeing check.[15]
See also
edit- House call
- Mental health first aid, training for nonspecialists to assist those experiencing a mental health condition
- Mobile Crisis, first responder service providing mental health evaluations, de-escalation, and referral to other services
- Police crisis intervention team, American movement of partnerships between law enforcement and mental health services
References
edit- ^ Bergstein, Rachelle (2018-12-17). "When and how to request a police wellness check". New York Post. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
- ^ "Statement on police and wellness checks". CMHA National. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
- ^ a b c "What Is A Police Welfare Check?". The Law Dictionary. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
- ^ "Police wellness checks: Why they're ending violently and what experts say needs to change". Global News. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
- ^ "WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN "INVESTIGATORY STOP" AND A "WELFARE CHECK"? | Roth Davies LLC". www.rothdavies.com. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
- ^ a b c d Canada, Public Safety (2021-02-03). "Police Intervention and Wellness Checks". www.publicsafety.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
- ^ "Mental Health Safe and well checks". College of Policing. 3 August 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ Perkins, Sara (18 May 2023). "'Concern for Welfare' Procedure" (PDF). UK: North Yorkshire Police.
- ^ Steffan, Andrea L. (2020). "Law Enforcement Welfare Checks and the Community Caretaking Exception to the Fourth Amendment Warrant Requirement". Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review. 53 (4): 1071–1127. ISSN 0147-9857.
- ^ https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/study-of-fatal-and-nonfatal-shootings-by-police-reveals-racial-disparities-dispatch-risks
- ^ https://nationalpolice.org/main/the-peril-and-promise-of-well-being-checks/
- ^ Moniuszko, Sara M. "Pete Davidson appears on 'SNL' after concerning social media post prompts police check". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
- ^ "Settlement reached in 'ER' actress Vanessa Marquez wrongful death lawsuit". 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
- ^ Edwards, Benji (October 14, 2024). "Ward Christensen, BBS inventor and architect of our online age, dies at age 78". Ars Technica. New York: Condé Nast. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
- ^ "Suchir Balaji: OpenAI whistleblower found dead in apartment". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2024-12-16.