Ernie & Joe

*Spirit of compassion* meets *truly knowing what it's like* - a powerful model for how a culture might actually help terribly misunderstood and stigmatized people.

If you care about people with mental illness, and are sick of the lip service given to reforming the system, watch this. Really.

A wonderfully crafted documentary chronicling the police officers that develop and build a mental health unit in San Antonio police department. Their approach to police work with the mentally ill should be adopted by every city and town in this country.

As someone with lived experience who also works in mental health, I can say that this department has it right. I'm so thankful for the work being done by these two officers. This type of crisis intervention has serious capacity to save lives and to change lives for the better- including those of the officers. May many more follow in their footsteps...

Had opportunity to preview film. Exceptionally done. Kudos to director, producers, & staff in the filming of this powerful story about policing from a mental health perspective versus a law enforcement perspective. I also thought it was a more compelling story in that not only do you "ride along" with Ernie & Joe as the respond to mental health calls but also share their own personal story of upbringing, childhood, adulthood, joining the force, then in many respects becoming the first MH officers in the SA area. A widely successful diversion program, recognized as a national model. Highly recommend!

Interesting to a watch a film that documents one of the first units in law enforcement to recognize and treat mental illness. If others follow suite, we may just have a viable means to countering senseless gun violence. Quite the leap but it starts here. I hope this gathers the attention and demand it's worthy of.