Mike Taggatz struggled to see a way out.

He was facing eviction from his South Saint Paul home and repossession of his vehicle.

“I got way behind, and there was just no way to get caught up,” Taggatz said.

His mental health quickly deteriorated, resulting in an attempted suicide last May.

“It’s kind of a blur, but I called 911,” Taggatz said. “When I came out of the house, there were a lot of officers, and I think there were some mental health workers as well.”

When individuals in crisis call 911 in Minnesota, “Travis’ Law” requires dispatchers refer mental health calls to trained crisis responders where available.

In 2024, 5 INVESTIGATES discovered that wasn’t happening, when data revealed law enforcement in nine counties didn’t refer a single case to crisis responders in the year and a half after the law was passed.

But the statewide response is improving.

Newly obtained state data, reviewed by 5 INVESTIGATES, revealed law enforcement in just two counties – Lake County and Grant County – hadn’t referred crisis calls to mental health professionals in the past two years.

The information, collected by the Minnesota Department of Human Services, also showed Dakota County’s referrals more than doubled from 2021 to 2024. 

Mental health advocates point to Dakota County — where Taggatz lives — as the model for how to follow Travis’ Law.

“I think because we’ve had such good, open communication, and we talk things through, I think that’s the foundation of why things are working,” said Brent Anderson, operations director for Dakota 911.

The criteria

Angela Lockhart, the county’s social services coordinator, said the call volumes and needs of people in the county are not changing.

“People who are really struggling are going to continue to struggle without intervention,” she said during a recent interview.

To address that cycle, Dakota County launched an embedded social worker program in 2019, sending mental health professionals to calls with police. It was the first step toward an alternative response.

The county was forced to evolve further in 2021 when the state legislature passed “Travis’ Law.”

Lockhart, alongside Brent Anderson from Dakota 911, worked with others in the county to develop a protocol for dispatchers when answering calls related to mental health crises.

If callers meet certain criteria, they are transferred to trained, mental health professionals who work in the county’s Crisis Response Unit, or CRU. Those staff are available 24/7 to meet people in person or talk to them over the phone.

But there are instances where dispatch will send police instead of CRU, Anderson said, including calls involving a crime in progress or if there are weapons present.

Lockhart also explained that if calls are referred to CRU that end up escalating, they can loop dispatch back in to send police, fire or EMS.

“It might turn into a situation where a true co-response is the better response option,” she said.

Still, Lockhart said she believes the protocol is following the intent of the law and that their data backs that up.

In 2023, Dakota County reported that 992 calls to 911 were transferred to the CRU. In 2024, that number rose to 1,400. In both years, Lockhart said, 83% of the transferred calls were handled by the Crisis Response Unit without law enforcement involvement.

“That’s 83% of calls that don’t need to have a law enforcement – a cop – does not need to go out there,” Anderson said. “That’s significant.”

A common goal

Both social services and 911 dispatch leaders credit a foundation of trust for building a successful system.

“We had to have really solid conversations with communications, dispatch and understand what they were up against,” Lockhart said.

In turn, Anderson said law enforcement had to adjust as well.

“You got to be open,” he said. “You have to be open to change, because this is a different way of thinking. Ten or 15 years ago, we never thought that… this would be the direction that we would go.”

The common goal at the end of the day, Anderson said, is helping people like Mike Taggatz.

While he was in the hospital, one of the county’s mental health workers connected with Taggatz. She reached out after learning that Mike’s dog, Rosie, was at his rental home. Eventually, she helped him find housing and got him into therapy.

Taggatz said the crisis team helped bridge emergency care with long-term stability and got him back on his feet.

“I really wish I didn’t have to attempt suicide to find out that there was help,” he said.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, there are resources available.

Here is a list of suicide prevention and mental health resources:

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988
• Crisis Text Line – Text MN to 741741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor to receive free, 24/7 crisis support via text message.
• Minnesota Department of Human Service’s adult mental health resources
  • DHS map and list of statewide adult mental health crisis response phone numbers
  • DHS map and list of statewide children’s mental health crisis response phone numbers
• The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) – Minnesota
• Veterans Crisis Line at 988, Option 1 or by texting 838255
• Minnesota Farm and Rural Mental Health Helpline at 833-600-2670 or by texting “FarmStress” to 898211

If you believe someone is at risk of suicide, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests you:

• Ask questions about whether the individual is having suicidal thoughts.
• Call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
• Seek help from a medical or mental health professional. If it is an emergency situation, take the person to a hospital.
• Remove any objects from a person’s home that could be potentially used in a suicide.
• Do not leave the person alone, if possible, until help is available.