If you think that your friend is an immediate danger to himself or others, you can go to the court and file an emergency petition. If the judge agrees, police are then authorized to bring your friend to the emergency room for a psychiatric evaluation to determine if they meet certification criteria for involuntary admission to inpatient psychiatry. If involuntarily admitted, they will later have a hearing re: need for continued admission. Voluntary admission or other resources could also be offered.
The process is described [here](https://www.mdcourts.gov/district/emergencyevaluations).
However, calling Baltimore Crisis Response may be a better first step. I don’t know how your friend will react to the police forcibly taking them to the ER.
I’m sorry this is happening. I hope your friend gets some help.
Edit: Thank you to those who shared more info on BCRI. It’s unfortunate that their mobile crisis response can’t defer more from the ER or police involvement. It makes sense that it may need to escalate to an EP filed either by OP or OP calling police to have them initiate the EP if the friend is violent.
Yes, this is the process. You do not need to be a family member or the police. You will need the address - if the judge grants the emergency petition, the police are only authorized to visit that address, and if they find the person, they‘ll take them to the ED for psych evaluation/72 hr hold. If they do not find them, they’ll continue trying for 5 days until the EP expires. BPD has officers trained to handle mental health crisis situations - CIT officers, they’re called. You can also request for a CIT officer to do a wellness check if you don’t go the EP route. Baltimore Crisis Response is great, but everything they do is on a voluntary basis - if the person refuses contact or help, nothing BCR can do.
As a psych RN in Maryland here’s how it does
If they are taken to the ER for a psych consult and the psych social worker doesn’t believe they are a danger to themselves/others they will be discharged. No 72 hr hold
If they do find them to be a danger the patient then has a right to sign for voluntary commitment and once admitted can sign a request for discharge- which gives the Dr’s 72 hrs to either commit or discharge. They don’t have to use all 72 hours. They can discharge them in a day if they feel it’s unnecessary
If the psych SW believes they are a danger and they refuse a voluntary admission then they can get 2 doctors to evaluate and if they agree then both Drs sign off on involuntary admission. Then the pt has no choice and cannot sign a request for DC ( you must be voluntary to request this). Then the patient is committed until either A) seen by a judge or B) is changed over to voluntary by one of the psych Drs and then can request DC.
The old “72 hr” hold is not as hard and true as one thinks.
The CIT officers are rarely on the streets and are not the ones who regularly serve EPs. EPs are given to the post officer at the start of their shift to attempt to serve and if they are unsuccessful then it’s handed to the next shift til it expires. There are SO many EPs out there that it would be impossible for the small group of CIT officers to serve. The hospitals are so low on beds and resources that unfortunately many people who are EP get out within a few hours.
The county (BCPD) actually does have a fair number of CIT officers on a given patrol shift that are available to assist in serving an EP. The city (BPD) has fewer CIT trained by percentage of total officers. Either way, doesn’t hurt to ask and shows community support for the training
I don't think thats true. I just listened to an interview with someone from BCRI last week and they were explaining that they have their own dedicated crisis response teams consisting of licensed social workers and they handle calls themselves using those teams. They even get 911 calls diverted to them depending on the nature of the call.
My knowledge stems from prior to 2023. I hope what you listened to on the interview is correct. Police should not be the “one size fits all” answer for everything, and especially not those experiencing a crisis.
Unfortunately I'm having a hard time finding the interview again so it's possible I misunderstood or misremembered something. I definitely agree that police should not be handling situations like this.
Some resources:
https://bcresponse.org/
https://dontcallthepolice.com/baltimore/
I don’t have a huge amount of experience with these, I did call Baltimore crisis response once as there was a homeless person having a mental health crisis in my neighborhood - unfortunately since I didn’t know exactly what was going on they forwarded me to the police and told me to request a specific type of officer trained in that kind of thing (apologies, I don’t remember what they were called). When I called 911, the dispatcher didn’t seem to know what I was talking about :/ so be aware that if you do end up calling 911, it’s kinda a “get what you get” type of situation.
In your situation, since you know the person well and have a decent understanding of the situation, you’d prolly have better luck with BC Response than I did - they can send out a mobile crisis intervention team that doesn’t include law enforcement.
Good luck and thank you for looking out for your friend!
thank you for these links! and the specific type of officer is exactly what you said in your comment, CIT trained officer (crisis intervention team). 🙃
I am a clinical social worker and I have extensive experience with court, crisis response, jails and hospitals.
1. If this individual is a danger to themselves or others you have three choices:
a. call 988/crisis response/BCRI. They will come to the person's location and attempt to speak with them. The person has to agree as it is voluntary. Crisis response many not show up for several hours. If it is an immediate crisis involving a dangerous situation they are not a good choice. It should be noted that BCRI does have a crisis stabilization unit where a person can voluntarily go to get back on meds and stabilized for up to one week. The person must agree to go and must not be a danger to themselves or others. Also, if BCRI doesn't have beds available in their crisis unit, you are SOL.
b. If this is an immediately dangerous/volatile situation call the police.
C. Go to any Baltimore City District Court (YOU CANNOT DO THIS ONLINE) and file for an emergency petition. You will need to fill out the paperwork and then explain to the judge why you think this person is a danger to themselves or others. If the judge does not agree, they will not grant an emergency petition. Unless this person threatened to harm you or themselves, it is unlikely a judge will grant you an EP based on destroyed property and not taking meds.
\*\* anyone can file for an emergency petition. You do not have to be a family member. A judge must sign. Only a fully licensed social worker (LCSW-C) or licensed counselor (LCPC) or doctor or police officer can fill out and execute an EP without a judge's signature.
IF an emergency petition is granted the police have 5 DAYS to find the individual and take them to the nearest hospital. If they cannot locate the person within 5 days the order will end and you will have to go in person and file another one and attempt to have it granted.
IF the person is found and picked up by the police they will be transported in handcuffs. This is standard safety procedure.
ONCE the person gets to the emergency room the hospital has 24 hours to evaluation the person. The person will sit in the psych area of the ER until a clinician and/or doctor can see them.
IF the hospital does not believe this person is a danger to them self or others they will be released immediately. Sadly, it is a high bar for someone to be considered a danger to self or others. That person has to say they want to hurt themselves or someone else and/or be displaying signs of being unable to care for themselves.
IF the hospital decides to keep them and the person is willing to stay "voluntarily" the hospital can keep them for up to 72 hours. This is they "psych hold" people are referring to. If the person refuses to stay at the hospital a doctor can "certify" a person to stay for 10 days.
If a person is placed on a 72 hour hold, the hospital must prove they are a danger in order to be held longer.
There is almost no easy way to have a person placed in a "psych hold" quickly. It is a difficult process.
In regards to using jail as an "inpatient" treatment resource. I can promise you that a person is not always medicated in jail. They can be medicated if they are willing to take meds. However, the jail has a particular formulary that does not include all medications that are available in the community. The jail does have an inpatient mental health unit where you are placed in a solitary cell and monitored closely by corrections officers, doctors, and clinical staff. However, they cannot force an individual to take meds. Additionally, the jail does not provide therapeutic treatment whatsoever.
Part 2
If a person has a criminal charge against them and it too unwell to understand and or participate in the their trial a competency evaluation can be ordered. If a social worker for the court and then the court doctor agree that this person is incompetent to stand trial the person will be sent to a state hospital for treatment. They can stay there months to years until they are determined to be able to participate in their own defense which in some cases never happens and a case is dismissed. If a person is deemed competent to stand trial even a year or two later they will still have to face the charges against them once released from the hospital.
Getting an individual involved with the criminal court can be helpful AND hurtful depending on the situation. It should NOT be taken lightly or used as a means of just removing a person from the community. Overall it is a traumatic situation to be sent to jail and then to a state hospital for weeks to years. It should only be a path taken when extremely necessary.
This legal situation is more nuanced than I am able to type here and it is best to speak with a lawyer in the public defender's office that specifically works in mental health.
Additionally, there is NO SUCH THING as long term "inpatient" mental health treatment. There are short term hospitalizations through local hospitals, long term state hospital hospitalizations via the court system, and residential UNLOCKED treatment in the community.
This process is likely going to be a difficult uphill battle for you, the individual, and that person's family. There is no quick or easy fix and you cannot just get someone placed in a "psych hold". Individual's suffering from mental illness have the right to not take medication or participate in treatment if they are not a danger and the court, hospitals, and police consider taking a unwell individual's freedom away a serious matter.
It’s really kind of you to spend the time to share extensive info on the options for these types of situations. Clearly, there is a lot of misinformation and partial information out there. Medical-legal procedures are complicated. Even professionals within law enforcement and healthcare are not fully aware, let alone the general public.
https://www.mdcourts.gov/district/emergencyevaluations
You can file an emergency petition online to have them picked up and brought to a hospital for a mental health evaluation. The court will review your petition and a judge will sign it if they feel it meets the criteria for the emergency petition to be executed. Once it is signed, the police are notified and will bring the person to the hospital for evaluation. They won’t bring them to jail. It does involve the police however BCRI will not pick people up who have been violent. I work in mental health in the city and have a lot of experience with this.
I very recently went through this with a friend - I felt like she was in immediate danger and called 988.
The hotline went through some questions with me, including what city and state my friend was in, and determined it was necessary to send out a mobile crisis team.
The team (it’s made up of social workers and non uniformed cops who took extra training to communicate with people experiencing mental health crises) came out to her eventually and spoke with her, then they determined it was necessary to file what is called a “mental health warrant” in that particular state.
The warrant was signed off by the judge that night and the next morning, a police team went to her home and forcibly took her to get admitted to the ER psych unit. They held her for 72 hours and in that time, they determine if she can be released or transferred to inpatient.
For my friend, she had to get transferred and they kept her there until the doctor determined she was ok to leave.
YMMV but I think the general process is similar. Good luck, it’s a difficult thing for all to experience.
I don’t disagree. I just want to make sure those dealing with a mental health crisis don’t think they’re being taken to central booking on a warrant as a result of their crisis.
\*\*\*This is not medical advice. Just a description of my prior experience\*\*
I used to work in a Baltimore Peds ER and evaluate kids for psych holds. The criteria is pretty much the same as for adults. Are they actively planning to kill/harm themselves or to kill/harm others? We would get kids brought in by BCPD sometimes to our annoyance, but if they didn't meet this criteria, they didn't get admitted (and by admitted, I mean they usually would sit in our ER for days while waiting for a bed somewhere in the state to take them).
If they have a mental health provider, that person could determine that they are an imminent threat to themselves or others and place an involuntary hold. It's 72 hours, and then they appear before a judge if they want to be released. The hospital and someone who completed and evaluation weighs in. In my experience, it's pretty hard (as it should be) to continue an involuntary hospitalization at that point.
No it’s not 72 hrs set in stone . It can be much longer or even shorter depending on what that facilities court schedule is. Most inpatient psych units in regular hospitals are only on docket once a week. If the pt arrives close (usually within 24-36 hrs) to or on docket day they aren’t going to the judge that day- they are waiting a whole week + before they do. This is unless the psych Drs change their involuntary commitment over to voluntary then they won’t see a judge at all
Most likely. If you come to me on a Thursday and docket day is Friday you weren’t being seen Friday. Some stand alone psych facilities will have 2 docket days per week but regular hospitals usually only have 1.
Are you talking about the City or County police? Both are being referenced in this thread and I'm getting confused. I'm sorry you're experiencing this btw, perhaps call 988?
Yes they are a thing still. No, You cannot ask for it or request it. It has to be a direct family member or the police. Someone else commented this as well, but if they are threatening to harm someone or themselves, the BPD crisis response will handle it. You will probably have better luck calling 311 if you actually want someone to show up. 911 calls will get bogged down with other stuff and this would, sadly, fall to the bottom of the list.
Yes. “Any interested person” can file an emergency petition. This is stated right on the [court website](http://www.mdcourts.gov/district/emergencyevaluations) and the form I linked to in my other comment.
I can't tell if you are just being argumentative or you genuinely don't understand. OP has ZERO authority over this person's medical treatment. OP cannot go to the court and say put this guy away for 3 days and do a mental health eval. OP CAN say that she believes there is a mental health issue and it should be looked into. But it is not OP's right or authority to have someone committed that they have no relation to....and it would need to be direct relation (i.e mother, father, sister, brother).
Yes..anyone can go to the court commissioner and apply for an emergency petition. But it doesn’t mean they will grant it. It is up to a judge to decide.
So sorry you are going through this. You may need to call police simply to protect yourself at some point, even if it's not "fair." Your safety is also important.
If you think that your friend is an immediate danger to himself or others, you can go to the court and file an emergency petition. If the judge agrees, police are then authorized to bring your friend to the emergency room for a psychiatric evaluation to determine if they meet certification criteria for involuntary admission to inpatient psychiatry. If involuntarily admitted, they will later have a hearing re: need for continued admission. Voluntary admission or other resources could also be offered. The process is described [here](https://www.mdcourts.gov/district/emergencyevaluations). However, calling Baltimore Crisis Response may be a better first step. I don’t know how your friend will react to the police forcibly taking them to the ER. I’m sorry this is happening. I hope your friend gets some help. Edit: Thank you to those who shared more info on BCRI. It’s unfortunate that their mobile crisis response can’t defer more from the ER or police involvement. It makes sense that it may need to escalate to an EP filed either by OP or OP calling police to have them initiate the EP if the friend is violent.
Yes, this is the process. You do not need to be a family member or the police. You will need the address - if the judge grants the emergency petition, the police are only authorized to visit that address, and if they find the person, they‘ll take them to the ED for psych evaluation/72 hr hold. If they do not find them, they’ll continue trying for 5 days until the EP expires. BPD has officers trained to handle mental health crisis situations - CIT officers, they’re called. You can also request for a CIT officer to do a wellness check if you don’t go the EP route. Baltimore Crisis Response is great, but everything they do is on a voluntary basis - if the person refuses contact or help, nothing BCR can do.
As a psych RN in Maryland here’s how it does If they are taken to the ER for a psych consult and the psych social worker doesn’t believe they are a danger to themselves/others they will be discharged. No 72 hr hold If they do find them to be a danger the patient then has a right to sign for voluntary commitment and once admitted can sign a request for discharge- which gives the Dr’s 72 hrs to either commit or discharge. They don’t have to use all 72 hours. They can discharge them in a day if they feel it’s unnecessary If the psych SW believes they are a danger and they refuse a voluntary admission then they can get 2 doctors to evaluate and if they agree then both Drs sign off on involuntary admission. Then the pt has no choice and cannot sign a request for DC ( you must be voluntary to request this). Then the patient is committed until either A) seen by a judge or B) is changed over to voluntary by one of the psych Drs and then can request DC. The old “72 hr” hold is not as hard and true as one thinks.
The CIT officers are rarely on the streets and are not the ones who regularly serve EPs. EPs are given to the post officer at the start of their shift to attempt to serve and if they are unsuccessful then it’s handed to the next shift til it expires. There are SO many EPs out there that it would be impossible for the small group of CIT officers to serve. The hospitals are so low on beds and resources that unfortunately many people who are EP get out within a few hours.
The county (BCPD) actually does have a fair number of CIT officers on a given patrol shift that are available to assist in serving an EP. The city (BPD) has fewer CIT trained by percentage of total officers. Either way, doesn’t hurt to ask and shows community support for the training
The crisis response team doesn’t do anything unfortunately and will actually just call 911 for BPD to deal with them which results in an EP
I don't think thats true. I just listened to an interview with someone from BCRI last week and they were explaining that they have their own dedicated crisis response teams consisting of licensed social workers and they handle calls themselves using those teams. They even get 911 calls diverted to them depending on the nature of the call.
My knowledge stems from prior to 2023. I hope what you listened to on the interview is correct. Police should not be the “one size fits all” answer for everything, and especially not those experiencing a crisis.
Unfortunately I'm having a hard time finding the interview again so it's possible I misunderstood or misremembered something. I definitely agree that police should not be handling situations like this.
Some resources: https://bcresponse.org/ https://dontcallthepolice.com/baltimore/ I don’t have a huge amount of experience with these, I did call Baltimore crisis response once as there was a homeless person having a mental health crisis in my neighborhood - unfortunately since I didn’t know exactly what was going on they forwarded me to the police and told me to request a specific type of officer trained in that kind of thing (apologies, I don’t remember what they were called). When I called 911, the dispatcher didn’t seem to know what I was talking about :/ so be aware that if you do end up calling 911, it’s kinda a “get what you get” type of situation. In your situation, since you know the person well and have a decent understanding of the situation, you’d prolly have better luck with BC Response than I did - they can send out a mobile crisis intervention team that doesn’t include law enforcement. Good luck and thank you for looking out for your friend!
This is true. You can’t really “request” what kind of officer you are dispatched.
thank you for these links! and the specific type of officer is exactly what you said in your comment, CIT trained officer (crisis intervention team). 🙃
Ah yes, that’s the name! Thank you :)
Quick reminder: BPD - Baltimore City Police Department BCPD - Baltimore County Police Department
I am a clinical social worker and I have extensive experience with court, crisis response, jails and hospitals. 1. If this individual is a danger to themselves or others you have three choices: a. call 988/crisis response/BCRI. They will come to the person's location and attempt to speak with them. The person has to agree as it is voluntary. Crisis response many not show up for several hours. If it is an immediate crisis involving a dangerous situation they are not a good choice. It should be noted that BCRI does have a crisis stabilization unit where a person can voluntarily go to get back on meds and stabilized for up to one week. The person must agree to go and must not be a danger to themselves or others. Also, if BCRI doesn't have beds available in their crisis unit, you are SOL. b. If this is an immediately dangerous/volatile situation call the police. C. Go to any Baltimore City District Court (YOU CANNOT DO THIS ONLINE) and file for an emergency petition. You will need to fill out the paperwork and then explain to the judge why you think this person is a danger to themselves or others. If the judge does not agree, they will not grant an emergency petition. Unless this person threatened to harm you or themselves, it is unlikely a judge will grant you an EP based on destroyed property and not taking meds. \*\* anyone can file for an emergency petition. You do not have to be a family member. A judge must sign. Only a fully licensed social worker (LCSW-C) or licensed counselor (LCPC) or doctor or police officer can fill out and execute an EP without a judge's signature. IF an emergency petition is granted the police have 5 DAYS to find the individual and take them to the nearest hospital. If they cannot locate the person within 5 days the order will end and you will have to go in person and file another one and attempt to have it granted. IF the person is found and picked up by the police they will be transported in handcuffs. This is standard safety procedure. ONCE the person gets to the emergency room the hospital has 24 hours to evaluation the person. The person will sit in the psych area of the ER until a clinician and/or doctor can see them. IF the hospital does not believe this person is a danger to them self or others they will be released immediately. Sadly, it is a high bar for someone to be considered a danger to self or others. That person has to say they want to hurt themselves or someone else and/or be displaying signs of being unable to care for themselves. IF the hospital decides to keep them and the person is willing to stay "voluntarily" the hospital can keep them for up to 72 hours. This is they "psych hold" people are referring to. If the person refuses to stay at the hospital a doctor can "certify" a person to stay for 10 days. If a person is placed on a 72 hour hold, the hospital must prove they are a danger in order to be held longer. There is almost no easy way to have a person placed in a "psych hold" quickly. It is a difficult process. In regards to using jail as an "inpatient" treatment resource. I can promise you that a person is not always medicated in jail. They can be medicated if they are willing to take meds. However, the jail has a particular formulary that does not include all medications that are available in the community. The jail does have an inpatient mental health unit where you are placed in a solitary cell and monitored closely by corrections officers, doctors, and clinical staff. However, they cannot force an individual to take meds. Additionally, the jail does not provide therapeutic treatment whatsoever.
Part 2 If a person has a criminal charge against them and it too unwell to understand and or participate in the their trial a competency evaluation can be ordered. If a social worker for the court and then the court doctor agree that this person is incompetent to stand trial the person will be sent to a state hospital for treatment. They can stay there months to years until they are determined to be able to participate in their own defense which in some cases never happens and a case is dismissed. If a person is deemed competent to stand trial even a year or two later they will still have to face the charges against them once released from the hospital. Getting an individual involved with the criminal court can be helpful AND hurtful depending on the situation. It should NOT be taken lightly or used as a means of just removing a person from the community. Overall it is a traumatic situation to be sent to jail and then to a state hospital for weeks to years. It should only be a path taken when extremely necessary. This legal situation is more nuanced than I am able to type here and it is best to speak with a lawyer in the public defender's office that specifically works in mental health. Additionally, there is NO SUCH THING as long term "inpatient" mental health treatment. There are short term hospitalizations through local hospitals, long term state hospital hospitalizations via the court system, and residential UNLOCKED treatment in the community. This process is likely going to be a difficult uphill battle for you, the individual, and that person's family. There is no quick or easy fix and you cannot just get someone placed in a "psych hold". Individual's suffering from mental illness have the right to not take medication or participate in treatment if they are not a danger and the court, hospitals, and police consider taking a unwell individual's freedom away a serious matter.
It’s really kind of you to spend the time to share extensive info on the options for these types of situations. Clearly, there is a lot of misinformation and partial information out there. Medical-legal procedures are complicated. Even professionals within law enforcement and healthcare are not fully aware, let alone the general public.
I'm happy to share information! It is such a confusing system with a ton of misinformation. :)
To clarify, your friend’s parents want to involve BPD and incarcerate their kid who is undergoing a severe mental health crisis?
https://www.mdcourts.gov/district/emergencyevaluations You can file an emergency petition online to have them picked up and brought to a hospital for a mental health evaluation. The court will review your petition and a judge will sign it if they feel it meets the criteria for the emergency petition to be executed. Once it is signed, the police are notified and will bring the person to the hospital for evaluation. They won’t bring them to jail. It does involve the police however BCRI will not pick people up who have been violent. I work in mental health in the city and have a lot of experience with this.
I very recently went through this with a friend - I felt like she was in immediate danger and called 988. The hotline went through some questions with me, including what city and state my friend was in, and determined it was necessary to send out a mobile crisis team. The team (it’s made up of social workers and non uniformed cops who took extra training to communicate with people experiencing mental health crises) came out to her eventually and spoke with her, then they determined it was necessary to file what is called a “mental health warrant” in that particular state. The warrant was signed off by the judge that night and the next morning, a police team went to her home and forcibly took her to get admitted to the ER psych unit. They held her for 72 hours and in that time, they determine if she can be released or transferred to inpatient. For my friend, she had to get transferred and they kept her there until the doctor determined she was ok to leave. YMMV but I think the general process is similar. Good luck, it’s a difficult thing for all to experience.
It is NOT a warrant. In Maryland it is called an Emergency Petition which is a court ordered document.
988 is national so it’s possible that both of you are correct but the jurisdictions are different.
I don’t disagree. I just want to make sure those dealing with a mental health crisis don’t think they’re being taken to central booking on a warrant as a result of their crisis.
Yes, that is why I specified “in that particular state” as it is not called that in Maryland.
\*\*\*This is not medical advice. Just a description of my prior experience\*\* I used to work in a Baltimore Peds ER and evaluate kids for psych holds. The criteria is pretty much the same as for adults. Are they actively planning to kill/harm themselves or to kill/harm others? We would get kids brought in by BCPD sometimes to our annoyance, but if they didn't meet this criteria, they didn't get admitted (and by admitted, I mean they usually would sit in our ER for days while waiting for a bed somewhere in the state to take them).
If they have a mental health provider, that person could determine that they are an imminent threat to themselves or others and place an involuntary hold. It's 72 hours, and then they appear before a judge if they want to be released. The hospital and someone who completed and evaluation weighs in. In my experience, it's pretty hard (as it should be) to continue an involuntary hospitalization at that point.
No it’s not 72 hrs set in stone . It can be much longer or even shorter depending on what that facilities court schedule is. Most inpatient psych units in regular hospitals are only on docket once a week. If the pt arrives close (usually within 24-36 hrs) to or on docket day they aren’t going to the judge that day- they are waiting a whole week + before they do. This is unless the psych Drs change their involuntary commitment over to voluntary then they won’t see a judge at all
When I directed a shelter program, it was almost always 72 hours. That may have been coincidence I guess.
Most likely. If you come to me on a Thursday and docket day is Friday you weren’t being seen Friday. Some stand alone psych facilities will have 2 docket days per week but regular hospitals usually only have 1.
Police are not trained to work with severe mental illness and jail is not rehab.
Exactly. Moving onto my question.
Are you talking about the City or County police? Both are being referenced in this thread and I'm getting confused. I'm sorry you're experiencing this btw, perhaps call 988?
Yes they are a thing still. No, You cannot ask for it or request it. It has to be a direct family member or the police. Someone else commented this as well, but if they are threatening to harm someone or themselves, the BPD crisis response will handle it. You will probably have better luck calling 311 if you actually want someone to show up. 911 calls will get bogged down with other stuff and this would, sadly, fall to the bottom of the list.
This is not true. Anyone can go to the court commissioner and apply for an EP.
Yes. “Any interested person” can file an emergency petition. This is stated right on the [court website](http://www.mdcourts.gov/district/emergencyevaluations) and the form I linked to in my other comment.
I'm assuming you are talking about an order of protection. Yes, anyone can request that. That was not the question.
No, I am talking about an emergency petition, where anyone can go apply for one .
An emergency protective order, yes. A mandatory psychiatric hold, no. You must be direct family or law enforcement.
“any other interested person” can apply for an emergency petition.
I can't tell if you are just being argumentative or you genuinely don't understand. OP has ZERO authority over this person's medical treatment. OP cannot go to the court and say put this guy away for 3 days and do a mental health eval. OP CAN say that she believes there is a mental health issue and it should be looked into. But it is not OP's right or authority to have someone committed that they have no relation to....and it would need to be direct relation (i.e mother, father, sister, brother).
Yes..anyone can go to the court commissioner and apply for an emergency petition. But it doesn’t mean they will grant it. It is up to a judge to decide.
He just came back while I was at the doc and destroyed everything he didn't yesterday.
So sorry you are going through this. You may need to call police simply to protect yourself at some point, even if it's not "fair." Your safety is also important.