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Three police officers hold a mentally ill man in handcuffs

A Different Kind of Force

Policing Mental Illness

NBC Left Field


In the San Antonio Police Department, a special plainclothes unit is trained specifically to handle mental health calls. This film offers an unflinching look at the crisis in the U.S. mental health system today by exploring the complex and often fraught relationship between the mentally ill and law enforcement.


Directed by Ed Ou & Kitra Cahana

Story Produced and Edited by Jonathan Ade


Winner of 2020 Peabody Award for News

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