Case v. Montana · ¶29

I write separately to underscore the unique considerations that law enforcement and courts should bear in mind when assessing whether there is an “objectively reasonable basis to believe” that a person experiencing a mental-health crisis needs law enforcement to “render emergency assistance.” Brigham City v. Stuart, 547 U. S. 398, 403 (2006). As Brig ham City explained, the “ `justification for what would be otherwise' ” an illegal warrantless entry of a home in this context is “ `[t]he need to protect or preserve life or avoid serious injury.' ” Ibid. (quoting Mincey v. Arizona, 437 U. S. 385, 392 (1978)). The officers in Brigham City, for instance, needed to enter the house to break up an ongoing fght to protect a person whom they saw through a window being struck in the face and to prevent further violence. 547 U. S., at 406. When an officer is called to respond to a person at risk…

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