§53.2. Order for custody; grounds; civil liability; criminal penalty for making a false statement

A. Any parish coroner or judge of a court of competent jurisdiction may order a person to be taken into protective custody and transported to a treatment facility or the office of the coroner for immediate examination when a peace officer or other credible person executes a statement under private signature specifying that, to the best of his knowledge and belief, the person has a mental illness or is suffering from a substance-related or addictive disorder and is in need of immediate treatment to protect the person or others from physical harm. The statement may include the following information:

(1) A statement of facts, including the affiant's observations, leading to the conclusion that the person has a mental illness or is suffering from a substance-related or addictive disorder and is dangerous to himself or others or gravely disabled.

(2) The date and place of any dangerous acts or threats.

(3) The name and surname, if known, of any other person who is in danger.

(4) Facts showing that the person sought has been encouraged to seek treatment and is unwilling to be evaluated on a voluntary basis, and

(5) Facts showing that the affiant has attempted to contact a specific treatment facility or a specific physician in order to obtain an examination of the person sought to be treated.

B. Any parish coroner or judge of a court of competent jurisdiction may order that a person be taken into protective custody and transported to a treatment facility or the office of the coroner for immediate examination when a physician, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, psychologist, or assigned case manager pursuant to Part III-A of Chapter 1 of this Title presents to the coroner or judge an order of involuntary outpatient treatment, and executes a statement specifying that there is substantial evidence that the patient is not in compliance with the order and there are reasonable grounds to believe that he poses a significant risk of being a danger to self or others.

C. The order for custody shall be in writing, in the name of the state of Louisiana, signed by the district judge or parish coroner, and shall state the following:

(1) The date and hour of issuance and the municipality or parish where issued.

(2) The name of the person to be taken into custody or, if his name is not known, a designation of the person by any name or description by which he can be identified with reasonable certainty.

(3) A description of the acts or threats which have led to the belief that the person has a mental illness or is suffering from a substance-related or addictive disorder and is in need of immediate hospitalization to protect the person or others from physical harm.

(4) That the person shall be taken to a community mental health center, public or private general hospital, public or private mental hospital, coroner's office, or detoxification center.

(5) That law enforcement officers are to use reasonable and necessary precautions when appropriate, in the execution of an order for custody pursuant to Subsection A and Paragraph (G)(1) of this Section, to avoid a violent encounter with the person being taken into custody. For the purposes of this Paragraph, "reasonable and necessary precautions" include crisis management strategies.

D. The order for custody shall be effective for seventy-two hours from its issuance by the coroner or judge and shall be delivered to the appropriate law enforcement agency for execution by hand, facsimile, or other electronic means, including but not limited to e-mail. The law enforcement officer or transporting person shall deliver a copy of the order for custody to the coroner, patient, and director of the treatment facility upon execution with the date and hour that the person is taken into protective custody clearly written on the order. Without delay, and in no event more than twelve hours after being taken into protective custody, the person shall be delivered to a treatment facility or the office of the coroner or he shall be released. Upon arrival, the person in custody shall be examined immediately by the coroner or, if at a treatment facility, by a physician, preferably a psychiatrist, medical psychologist, or psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, who shall determine if the person shall be voluntarily admitted, admitted by emergency certificate, admitted as a noncontested admission, or discharged. The person in custody shall be examined within twelve hours of his arrival at the treatment facility or coroner's office or he shall be released.

E. Coroners and assistant coroners who act in good faith to order persons to be taken into protective custody and transported for examination in accordance with this Section shall not be civilly liable for damages to such persons resulting from those actions.

F. Any person who is found guilty of executing a statement that another person has a mental illness or is suffering from a substance-related or addictive disorder and is in need of immediate treatment to protect the person or others that the affiant knows or should know is false may be imprisoned, with or without hard labor, for not more than one year, or fined not more than one thousand dollars.

G.(1) If a law enforcement officer who has announced his authority and purpose of executing an order for protective custody and examination is refused or obstructed from admittance, and a mental health professional has intervened and attempted to counsel the person regarding his voluntary surrender to no avail, any elected coroner or his support staff may apply to a court of competent jurisdiction for an order allowing a law enforcement officer to break open an outer or inner door or window of any vehicle, watercraft, aircraft, structure, or dwelling in order to restrain and transport the person subject to a request and order for protective custody examination.

(2) The application for a court order pursuant to this Subsection shall be accompanied by a copy of the order for protective custody and an affidavit of the coroner or his support staff reciting facts establishing probable cause for forcible entry. In exceptional circumstances, such facts may be relayed to the judge by telephone or other electronic communication and the order of the judge may be issued orally. In such cases, a copy of the order for protective custody and an affidavit containing the information relayed to the judge shall be provided to the judge within twenty-four hours of taking the person into protective custody. Upon the timely presentation of the copy of the order for protective custody and the affidavit, the judge shall issue a written order acknowledging receipt of the information and the issuance of an oral order allowing forcible entry.

(3) Except as provided in Paragraph (4) of this Subsection and in instances of gross negligence or willful and wanton misconduct, an elected coroner and his support staff, and the executing law enforcement agency and its officers, shall not be civilly liable for any damage or injury resulting from any act, decision, omission, communication, or any act or failure to act, made in good faith while engaged in the performance of their duty to obtain or execute the order allowing the forcible entry or the restraining or transportation of the subject for protective custody and examination.

(4) The limitation of civil liability provided for in this Subsection shall not extend to any action for the serious bodily injury or wrongful death occasioned as a result of the restraint or transportation of the person subject to the request and order for protective custody. Neither shall such limitation of civil liability extend to injuries or damages sustained by a third party who is physically injured during the execution of a request and order for protective custody. The limitation of liability provided for in this Subsection is not intended to limit or prohibit civil liability otherwise provided by law.

H.(1) Public and private general hospitals and their personnel who provide services in good faith for defined commitments in this Part shall not be liable for damages suffered by the patient as a result of the commitment or damages caused by the patient during the term of the commitment, unless the damage or injury was caused by willful or wanton negligence or gross misconduct. This limitation of liability shall only apply to public and private general hospital personnel who within the preceding twelve-month period have received appropriate training in nonviolent crisis intervention and such training has been documented in their personnel files. The training shall be provided by an instructor who has attended a course in crisis intervention taught by a certified instructor.

(2) The provisions of this Subsection shall not affect the provisions of R.S. 40:2113.6 or the Federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, 42 U.S.C. 1395dd.

Added by Acts 1978, No. 782, §1, eff. July 17, 1978. Acts 1986, No. 768, §1; Acts 1990, No. 516, §1; Acts 1991, No. 907, §1; Acts 1992, No. 293, §1; Acts 2001, No. 466, §1; Acts 2003, No. 793, §1; Acts 2005, No. 409, §1; Acts 2005, No. 480, §1; Acts 2006, No. 664, §1; Acts 2008, No. 407, §1; Acts 2014, No. 53, §1; Acts 2017, No. 369, §2; Acts 2018, No. 206, §1; Acts 2018, No. 352, §1, eff. May 20, 2018.