State Rep. Bob Donovan (R-Greenfield) is pushing Wisconsin lawmakers to take a hard look at the state’s emergency mental health detention law after a high-profile release of a Greenfield man once charged in a 2019 homicide rattled his district.
This week, Donovan formally asked the Wisconsin Joint Legislative Council to convene a study of Chapter 51, the statute that governs when someone in a mental health crisis can be held on an emergency basis.
Investigation That Sparked The Push
Donovan said his move was prompted by a 12 News Investigates series that showed families repeatedly begging police for help, only to watch officers walk away because the legal bar for emergency detention was not met. Body-camera footage captured officers declining to take people into custody under the current standard for Chapter 51.15.
The investigation detailed how the law’s threshold can keep first responders from involuntarily bringing people into treatment, as reported by WISN 12 News. Advocates in that coverage urged lawmakers to consider allowing clinicians, not just police, to initiate emergency detentions.
Release That Raised Alarms
Donovan also cited the recent case of Amando Lang, a Greenfield resident charged in the random 2019 stabbing of a utility worker who was later found not competent to stand trial. Lang resurfaced in the community this past summer…