Get ready for the court battles over Adams' new NYC policy on committing the mentally ill

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced Tuesday that he is directing police and other first-responders to remove people with severe mental illness from the city’s streets for involuntary psychiatric evaluations and hospitalizations, but the new policy will almost certainly face legal challenges from civil liberties groups, who say it tramples on well-established constitutional rights.

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In remarks yesterday, Adams, who has also ordered aggressive clearings of homeless encampments in the city, characterized the new policy as a way to ensure mentally ill people on the streets receive compassionate care. …

New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) Executive Director Donna Lieberman said in a press release that Adams proposed expansion is “likely to violate” state and federal constitutional limits on when people with mental illness can be involuntarily committed.

“The Mayor is playing fast and loose with the legal rights of New Yorkers and is not dedicating the resources necessary to address the mental health crises that affect our communities,” Lieberman said.

Adams’ policy directive itself notes that “case law does not provide extensive guidance regarding removals for mental health evaluations based on short interactions in the field.”

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