County sheriffs and attorneys are coming together at the state capitol Thursday for a last-minute push for more funding for mental health treatment.
They say detainees with serious mental illness are being forced to stay in jail instead of getting the help they need due to a lack of beds.
"We have to prioritize people," Cass County Sheriff Brian Welk said. "This is a human issue and we have to stop criminalizing mental health. We have to invest. We're better than this, and we have to put people first."
Welk says for years numerous law enforcement task forces have stressed the need for more funding for mental health treatment.
"County jails across the state have literally become warehouses for the mentally ill," one unidentified sheriff told reporters. "This is not a new issue. Sheriffs have been at the table for years, serving on work groups and task forces. The consistent recommendation over that entire time has remained exactly the same. Minnesota needs more mental health treatment capacity."
The group added they were not included in a decision to cut funding that happened behind closed doors during backroom budget negotiations.
The legislature - and legislative leaders - have been hard at work since the session ended in May trying to finalize a $66 million state budget. Much of that work has been done in private.