A review of research shows that crime rates among the mentally disordered population are no higher than among nonmentally disordered people with similar demographic characteristics (race, age, gender, class, and prior criminality), despite popular beliefs to the contrary. Studies of police handling of mentally disordered persons indicate that police are much more likely to commit a person perceived as disordered to a hospital than to arrest him, and that the decision to commit was generally based on an overt threat of harm or action. An examination of statistics shows that mentally disordered offenders comprised only 3.2 percent of the institutionalized offender population and 7.3 percent of the institutionalized mentally disordered population. The American Bar Association has recently adopted eight standards that provide guidelines for police handling of the mentally disordered. These guidelines specify grounds for police taking custody of a mentally disordered or retarded person, call for close cooperation between police and mental health professionals, and address issues related to use of force, commitment, recordkeeping, and treatment of mentally disordered inmates. 1 table.