AB 2405: The perpetual conversation around patient “dumping” at various hospitals is again taking place in the State Capitol, this time through AB 2405 (Gipson). As is in print, AB 2405 would require a peace officer who is transporting a person who is a danger to themselves or others to a designated facility for evaluation and treatment, to transport the person to the closest appropriate designated facility, geographically or by time, from where the peace officer took the person into custody.
Much of the debate on this measure has stemmed from events at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in Los Angeles County, which has reported a notably higher-than-expected number of 5150 drop-offs by law enforcement, some from very long distances and passing a number of other potentially qualified facilities. While well-intentioned, the proposal set forth in AB 2405 continues to pose a degree of potentially concerning ambiguity with statewide implications.
However, the current version of the bill is much improved from earlier versions. Previous text of the bill posed notable issues that could detrimentally impact patient health, including a lack of consideration for the physical health needs or other medical considerations beyond just the 5150. Those provisions have since been removed.
AB 2405 continues to be opposed by several law enforcement organizations and Disability Rights California.