![\"Bailey](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/bailey-piersing-courtesy.jpg\")
The family of Bailey Piersing, pictured, is hoping their son can serve part of his sentence in a hospital for targeted mental health treatment. (Courtesy Piersing family)<\/p>\nA Michigan family\u2019s attempt to get their son emergency mental health assistance last year resulted in a police encounter and jail time<\/p>\n
Police and community mental health officials are working to improve response to mental health crises<\/p>\n
Experts and advocates say targeted training, better diversion programs could reduce criminalization of mental health conditions<\/p>\n
GRAND HAVEN \u2014 With their son in the throes of a mental health crisis last November, Bill and Faith Piersing did what they\u2019d been told to do countless times before: They dialed 911.<\/p>\n
The couple were hoping for a helping hand to deescalate the situation and transport him to a hospital.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead, the law enforcement officers who showed up at their home seemed intent on arresting their son, sparking an altercation that would quickly escalate, Bill Piersing told Bridge Michigan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey came in the house and made him a felon,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bailey Piersing, the 23-year-old son with bipolar type schizoaffective disorder, did not respond well. His parents say he resisted arrest, bit an officer and was tased multiple times before he was taken to the hospital, and then jail.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The family of Bailey Piersing, pictured, is hoping their son can serve part of his sentence in a hospital for targeted mental health treatment. (Courtesy Piersing family)<\/p>\n
On Monday, he was sentenced to 10 months in jail and 30 months of probation on a felony count of assaulting, resisting or obstructing a police officer causing injury, with credit for 148 days already served, Ottawa County court records show. The agreement was part of a plea deal, down from two felony counts.<\/p>\n
After years of taking his son to appointments and working to connect him with appropriate treatment and resources, \u201call I know is the results of my efforts have been futile,\u201d Bill Piersing said. \u201cA lot of people understand, but nobody can do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Related:<\/p>\n
The Ottawa County Prosecutor\u2019s Office did not respond to requests for comment on the case, and a spokesperson for the Ottawa County Sheriff\u2019s Office was not available. Bridge Michigan\u2019s Freedom of Information Act request for the incident report remains pending.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Piersings\u2019 experience is far from unique as families, friends, officials and law enforcement agencies across Michigan grapple with how to respond to mental health emergencies in which an already unpredictable situation can quickly turn volatile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The debate was thrust into the spotlight earlier this year, when a 911 call reporting a man\u2019s erratic behavior with a sword in Ypsilanti triggered a more than 30-hour standoff<\/a> involving multiple law enforcement agencies, a SWAT team and a wide range of police tools like tear gas and flashbangs. The man, Ruben Peeler, was charged with multiple felonies for resisting arrest, sparking community backlash and calls for meaningful reform.\u00a0<\/p>\n Advocates for change point to myriad solutions that could help improve outcomes, from increasing participation in crisis training for law enforcement to making unarmed mental health professionals primary responders in certain situations. In the state Capitol, lawmakers are considering bills<\/a> aimed at improving access to outpatient mental health treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n The goal should be early intervention, said former Wayne County probate judge and state court administrator Milton Mack.\u00a0<\/p>\n He likened the current process for getting mental health treatment to telling someone with cancer to \u201ccome back when you\u2019re stage four.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe should treat people before they become homeless, before they get incarcerated, before they become permanently disabled,\u201d said Mack, who helped draft many of the legislative recommendations. \u201cThis is fixable. We can do a better job.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Call and response<\/p>\n Though there have been growing calls statewide for alternatives, experts say a 911 dispatch remains the go-to option in situations where a person experiencing a mental health crisis is in danger of hurting themselves or others.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nearly 12.5 million people contacted 911 in 2024, according to the latest annual report<\/a> from Michigan\u2019s State 911 Committee. While state statistics don\u2019t specifically track how many of those calls are related to mental health emergencies, researchers estimate<\/a> that at least 10% involved behavioral health crises.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the city of Detroit alone, police said they responded to more than 16,000 mental health calls<\/a> in 2024, about 40 calls a day.\u00a0<\/p>\n To help streamline response, Detroit\u2019s department has a mental health co-response unit that features trained officers and behavioral specialists. Some communities, including Washtenaw<\/a> and Oakland<\/a> counties, have designated local mental health crisis helplines operated by community mental health officials.<\/p>\n Several agencies across Michigan have established crisis intervention teams<\/a>, an evidence-based model designed to build community partnerships between law enforcement, mental health and addiction professionals and people with lived experience of mental illness.\u00a0<\/p>\n Statewide, about 15% of sheriffs and police chiefs say they\u2019ve implemented some kind of alternative response program for mental health calls, according to the spring 2024 Michigan Public Policy Survey<\/a> conducted by University of Michigan\u2019s Center for Local, State and Urban Policy.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lawmakers in 2025 approved funding for a new state office <\/a>to work with agencies on creating or improving crisis intervention teams. The process entails 40-hour, in-person training sessions that familiarize first responders with mental health disorders, de-escalation tactics in crisis situations and people actively managing their own or their loved ones\u2019 mental health conditions.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t afford not to invest in this,\u201d said Kevin Fischer, executive director of both the state\u2019s CIT office and the National Alliance on Mental Illness Michigan, pointing to research<\/a> showing that communities that have adopted the model have experienced an increased use of behavioral health care resources and overall cost savings, as well as reductions in use of force and injuries to officers and civilians.<\/p>\n One big issue Michigan\u2019s office is facing: because there are no formal regulations or requirements, it\u2019s hard to tell which Michigan communities with crisis intervention teams are using best practices, Fischer said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Another issue is long-term funding. The office, which operates on a $500,000 budget, won\u2019t be funded past October if it\u2019s not included in the next state budget currently being negotiated in the Legislature<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cA half million dollars is a drop in the bucket compared to the return on investment,\u201d Fischer said. \u201cIt\u2019s anywhere from three to 10 times more expensive to incarcerate a person with a mental illness than it is to get them services through the community mental health system.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018It just depends on who you get\u2019<\/p>\n Increased mental health training isn\u2019t necessarily a guarantee for positive outcomes in emergency situations.\u00a0<\/p>\n In October 2022, a response team led by a crisis intervention-trained officer in Detroit shot and killed a man with schizophrenia<\/a> experiencing a psychotic episode, prompting a wrongful death lawsuit<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n And in Ypsilanti, the county\u2019s crisis negotiation team was involved in the multi-day response to the mental health call for Peeler, who barricaded himself in his home with a sword as responders attempted to make contact. Law enforcement eventually used tear gas, a fire hose and punched a hole through the front of the house to retrieve Peeler.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Washtenaw County Sheriff\u2019s Office at the time credited responders\u2019 \u201cunwavering dedication to service\u201d as the reason why no one was seriously injured or killed, but neighbors and community members have insisted that law enforcement did not handle the situation appropriately<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Matt Saxton, CEO and executive director of the Michigan Sheriffs\u2019 Association, told Bridge Michigan that law enforcement has seen far more interactions with people with mental health concerns in recent decades since the closure of state-run psychiatric hospitals in the 1980s and 1990s.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s not unheard of, he said, for law enforcement to get called to emergency rooms to assist with people in mental health crises who are acting out. Many individuals \u201cget lodged in a county jail when really they need medical mental health treatment\u201d if their response to intervention turns volatile.<\/p>\n \u201cLaw enforcement, to a great extent, tries everything that they can do to use the least amount of force necessary and try to de-escalate the situations,\u201d he said. \u201cBut in some cases, those individuals mentally aren\u2019t in the spot where they can de-escalate with conversation\u2026so it is difficult.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Ottawa County, where the Piersings live, has had a crisis intervention team since 2021<\/a>, and the county website states more than 100 local first responders have been trained in mental health crisis response.\u00a0<\/p>\n The county pairs mental health clinicians with law enforcement officers when responding to behavioral health emergencies \u201cwhenever possible,\u201d according to its website, which notes the team with clinicians is primarily available during business hours.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Piersings believe more focused training for officers on how to respond to mental health emergencies might have helped in their situation in Grand Haven and potentially prevented the altercation that landed their son in jail.\u00a0<\/p>\n Prior to the November 2025 call that led to his eventual arrest, their son had been taking medication and going to appointments at Ottawa County Community Mental Health, but struggled to connect with his caseworker, and the family had required emergency assistance on other occasions.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf you call in a mental health emergency like we had done previously, it just depends on who you get,\u201d Bill Piersing said. \u201cThe previous time, they took him to the hospital as requested. This time turned into an ordeal.\u201d<\/p>\n The Piersings said they\u2019d managed to calm their son down enough to agree to go to the hospital and told the two responding officers they no longer needed their assistance, but that the officers insisted on making contact and the situation escalated quickly from there.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe was trying to fight back in any way he could, and a bite \u2014 that was it,\u201d Faith Piersing said. \u201cThey had him down on the ground.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Barriers to reform<\/p>\n A wide majority of local sheriffs and police chiefs are on board with improving mental health responses. But many don\u2019t see a viable pathway to getting it started in their communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n As of 2024, more than 80% of county sheriffs and local police chiefs supported some type of alternative approach for responding to 911 mental health calls, the 2024 University of Michigan survey found<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Support was highest for co-response, which involves adding behavioral health specialists to a team of trained law enforcement. As a group, law enforcement leaders were more skeptical of allowing autonomous non-police mental health experts to handle mental health calls, an approach favored by some advocates.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nearly 60% of police chiefs and more than half of sheriffs who responded believed lack of funding, staffing concerns and the added difficulties of keeping civilian responders safe would make it hard to adopt such an approach in their communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n Debra Horner, the survey\u2019s senior program manager, said it\u2019s easier for urban communities to envision novel approaches to mental health response in part because there are more specialists available. In small towns where dollars and personnel are already stretched thin, it\u2019s a tougher sell without additional support, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re in a small, rural county\u2026your sheriff\u2019s department doesn\u2019t have people who they can call upon to take out with them on some of these calls,\u201d Horner said, later adding: \u201cIn the places in which it\u2019s relatively easy to develop and initiate this, they\u2019ve done it.\u201d<\/p>\n Fischer, who runs the state\u2019s crisis intervention team office, said rural communities are equally susceptible to mental illness, yet typically have the lowest access to behavioral health care resources.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even in communities where those resources aren\u2019t available, there are options responding agencies can take, he said. Both he and Saxton of the Michigan Sheriffs\u2019 Association cited one option where officers carry iPads into the field to connect with mental health professionals on scene if they\u2019re dealing with a crisis situation.<\/p>\n \u201cAcross the country, in many communities, law enforcement is the only response available to people who are experiencing a mental health crisis,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have to start somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Early intervention<\/p>\n Advocates for change say getting people treatment before it escalates to a crisis is just as important as preparing first responders to divert people with serious mental illnesses away from the courts or jail.\u00a0<\/p>\n Statewide, Michigan has a mental health court system<\/a> designed to keep people with various conditions out of criminal courts, as well as a variety of jail diversion programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n There are limitations to who can participate, however, particularly when a person is charged with violent crimes. Experts say outcomes can also vary widely based on where the incident takes place, the individual circumstances of the case and whether judges offer leniency in order to divert people with diagnosed mental health conditions to treatment instead of jail.<\/p>\n Mack, the former probate court judge, said the biggest challenge and opportunity in Michigan is to better connect all of the groups dealing with mental health emergencies on a day-to-day basis \u2014 law enforcement, crisis centers, emergency rooms, hospitals, schools, courts, community mental health systems \u2014 and adopt a recovery-oriented model.\u00a0<\/p>\n He believes bills pending in the state Legislature would be a \u201csubstantial improvement\u201d to the status quo.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n As written, the House-passed bills<\/a> would ease involuntary-admission procedures, extend court-ordered care, shift more authority to community mental health agencies and create a pathway to divert misdemeanor defendants into treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n The state Senate passed similar legislation<\/a> earlier this session. Sen. Kevin Hertel, D-St-Clair Shores, recently told Bridge <\/a>he\u2019s optimistic about finalizing meaningful reforms this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThese bills\u2026would make it easier for families to intervene early in the course of their loved one\u2019s mental illness and get outpatient treatment,\u201d Mack said. \u201cAnd we know that works.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The Piersings would welcome any mental health assistance they can get for their son once they sort out his current legal troubles. After years of searching for solutions, they still don\u2019t have answers, but they\u2019ll continue to fight for a future for their son that doesn\u2019t involve homelessness or jail.\u00a0<\/p>\n They plan to remain in Grand Haven while they sort out their son\u2019s legal troubles. Currently, they\u2019re working with court officials to see if he can serve out the remainder of his sentence in psychiatric treatment rather than jail.\u00a0<\/p>\n But they\u2019re already in the process of downsizing and preparing to move out of Ottawa County.\u00a0<\/p>\n Their top priority in a new home: robust, easily accessible mental health resources that prepare their son to live on his own when they\u2019re no longer able to care for him.\u00a0<\/p>\n Much remains up in the air, but Bill Piersing knows one thing for sure. He\u2019ll never call 911 on his son again.<\/p>\n \u201cIf this is their help, yeah, I don\u2019t want it,\u201d he said. \u201cWe were having a crisis and trying to get help, and that didn\u2019t do anything but throw gas on the fire and get us in this predicament that we\u2019re in right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Mental health emergency resources<\/p>\n If you or someone you know is in need of immediate mental health support, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline<\/a> offers round-the-clock phone, text and online chat services. Military veterans can also obtain specialized support<\/a> through this service.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Michigan Peer Warmline<\/a> is an alternative to traditional crisis lines operated by certified peer support specialists. Any Michigan resident in need of mental health support can anonymously call 1-888-PEER-753 (1-888-733-7753) seven days a week between 10 a.m. and 2 a.m.<\/p>\n First responders and their families can access specialized mental health support through the Frontline Strong<\/a> program. Call 1-833-34-STRONG for additional information.<\/p>\n Michigan residents in need of substance abuse treatment, problem gambling counseling or other mental health resources may be eligible for publicly-funded care. Click here for contact information by county<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The National Alliance on Mental Illness offers a national resource directory<\/a> for a wide variety of circumstances. People in need of mental health resources can also call the organization\u2019s helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or by texting \u201cHelpLine\u201d to 62640, available Mon-Fri from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.<\/p>\n If you or someone you know is in need of immediate medical attention, call 911.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Thank you to our Michigan Health Watch Sponsors<\/p>\n Bridge Michigan Health Watch is made possible by generous financial support from our sponsors. Sponsorship supports our independent journalism mission but does not constitute sponsor endorsement of individual articles or editorial content. Bridge Michigan journalism remains fact- and data-driven and independent at all times.<\/p>\n Please visit the\u00a0About<\/a>\u00a0page for more information and to\u00a0subscribe<\/a>\u00a0to Health Watch. Interested in becoming a sponsor?\u00a0Contact Emma Carr<\/a>.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/04172026-mental-health-KN-13-of-16.jpg\")
Ottawa County Jail in West Olive, where Bailey Piersing has been held since his arrest. (Kristen Norman for Bridge Michigan)<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ottawacountycourt_0426_LG.jpg\")
Bailey Piersing\u2019s case was heard in Ottawa County\u2019s 20th Circuit Court. (Lauren Gibbons\/Bridge Michigan)<\/p>\n
![\"Creative](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1754973788_72_cc-by-nd-4.0.png\"\/)
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