WORCESTER —Three mental health and disability advocacy organizations have filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Worcester, alleging that its emergency response system unlawfully treats mental health crises differently from physical health emergencies.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court, was brought by NAMI Massachusetts, NAMI Central Massachusetts and the Parent-Professional Advocacy League. According to the complaint, Worcester dispatches armed police officers to many mental health-related 911 calls, while sending trained medical professionals such as EMTs and paramedics to physical health emergencies.
The plaintiffs argue that disparity violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act by denying people with mental health disabilities equal access to appropriate emergency services.
“It is not a crime to experience a mental health crisis, and the city should not respond by sending armed police to mental health emergencies,” Steven Schwartz of the Center for Public Representation, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs, said in a statement included in the organizations’ announcement of the lawsuit.
The groups said Worcester’s current system leaves “thousands of people” at risk of harm and injury and often escalates crises, resulting in unnecessary use of force, involuntary commitments or arrests.
The complaint states that more than 25% of Worcester’s 911 calls involve individuals experiencing some form of mental health crisis, but alleges that the city has no system in place to ensure that mental health professionals are dispatched as first responders in those situations.
Instead, the lawsuit contends, police officers — who are not trained clinicians — are often the default response, even in cases involving suicidal ideation, trauma or psychiatric distress.
The filing cites a range of incidents involving both children and adults, including cases involving autistic individuals and others in crisis, in which advocates allege police response escalated situations or resulted in injury. Some of those examples mirror concerns raised in the U.S. Department of Justice’s 2024 report on the Worcester Police Department, which found that officers at times used excessive force and rapidly escalated encounters, including with people experiencing behavioral health crises.
The lawsuit also points to Worcester’s former Mental Health Crisis Response Team, a pilot program launched in 2023 that paired police with clinicians. According to the complaint, the program operated on limited hours, rarely dispatched clinicians as first responders and was later disbanded without a replacement, leaving the city without a dedicated unarmed mental health response.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to require Worcester to implement a system in which trained mental health professionals serve as the primary responders to appropriate mental health emergencies, similar to how the city handles medical calls.
Advocates say such a model would prioritize de-escalation, treatment and stabilization rather than enforcement.
“People experiencing a mental health crisis deserve the same health-centered response as anyone facing a physical medical emergency,” Eliza Williamson, executive director of NAMI Massachusetts, said in a statement.
The case appears to be the first of its kind in Massachusetts, though similar lawsuits are pending in other parts of the country.
In a statement to the Worcester Guardian, Worcester Police Department spokesperson Joseph Cersosimo said the city had not yet been formally served with the complaint.
“The municipality has not officially been served this complaint yet so we will decline to comment,” Cersosimo said.
This is a developing story. The Worcester Guardian has also reached out to city officials and the organizations involved for additional comment. Refresh for updates.
Have a story tip, community concern, or insight to share? Email Editor Charlene Arsenault at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org.
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