Prosecutor ‘aware’ of state representative’s 988 hotline test
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A state representative on Monday night touted "critical failures" in the state's 988 mental health crisis hotline system after "a firsthand test" exposed them.
The test, though, also has the attention of law enforcement in Jefferson City, with some dispatchers informing Byrnes of how much her "test" had tied up law enforcement resources.
Records obtained by ABC 17 News through a request detail a log from Jefferson City dispatchers trying to track down the origin of a 988 call on Thursday, Feb. 20.
The tip, the log said, came from someone who said "they had a gun to their head." It eventually led them to state Rep. Tricia Byrnes (R-Wentzville), who told them "she was proving how ineffective the 988 system is."
The city then turned over the situation to the Capitol Police Department. Department of Public Safety spokesperson Mike O'Connell would only say that police got a report from Jefferson City dispatch about an unknown suicidal caller at the Capitol that day. Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson said he had "been made aware of the situation," but declined to comment further than that.
The 988 crisis line started in 2022 as an alternative for people experiencing mental health problems to call for emergency help. The Missouri Department of Mental Health oversees the program. Missouri has been one of the highest-volume states for calls and answers.
The log said Jefferson City received a report from St. Louis police at 11:12 a.m. about a 988 crisis line tip it received. Law enforcement pinged the person's phone, which came back to the north side of the Capitol building. Lawmakers were in session that morning debating a public safety bill on the floor. The dispatch log said the original tip came to the crisis line via text. Capitol police were called at 11:15 a.m. A note at 11:23 a.m. shows Capitol police would contact St. Louis for more information.
Jefferson City dispatchers said it called the subject's number at 11:27 a.m., which was answered and then disconnected. Two minutes later, the dispatcher wrote that they had a female on the line, who identified themselves as Byrnes "claiming that they were doing a test of the dependability of the 988 system."
"[Operator] told Tricia that [law enforcement] has a lot of resources working on this and that this was concerning," the dispatcher wrote in the log. "She apologized. [Operator] told her Capitol police would be contacting her on the House floor."
A second dispatcher spoke with Byrnes again around 11:41 a.m. The log said Byrnes told them about the ineffectiveness of the 988 system.
"I corrected her on what notifications occurred and the amount of resources that responded to this which turned out to only be a false report for her experiment," the dispatcher wrote.
Byrnes's news release on Monday night did not mention any conversations she had with Jefferson City dispatchers, or if police ever spoke to her. It did, however, call the entire response to the text a "catastrophic failure."
"The responses I received were cold, robotic, and appeared to come from AI chatbots rather than trained crisis counselors," Byrnes said. "This is unacceptable. If someone in immediate distress were to reach out expecting real help, they might not get it—and that could cost lives.”
Byrnes did not respond to a request for comment on Monday night after she had sent the release.
Byrnes is sponsoring HB 1148, which would require new rules for 988 crisis counselors. Those taking reports would have to ask if the person is in danger and in need of services through 911. Counselors would also need to include "key performance indicators to gauge the effectiveness of their efforts" in their response scripts, and send those calling for help a follow-up survey and resources. DMH would also have to keep stats on "the value" of the Lifeline program, the quality of the interactions and how often those seeking help click on the links sent in follow-up correspondence.
HB 1148 is set for a hearing at 8 a.m. Tuesday in the Children and Families Committee.
