Midwest City Police Chief: 'We will be killing Oklahomans on a daily basis,' one result of mental health and substance abuse treatment cuts.

Violent crime will spike, and jails across Oklahoma will be overwhelmed in the aftermath of impending budget cuts to the state Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, law enforcement officials warned Wednesday.

“We plead with our legislators to stop aligning your party affiliation and find a solution to the budget deficit,” said Brandon Clabes, Midwest City police chief who also spoke on behalf of the Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police. “Compromise on both sides is a must. If we don't act immediately, we will be killing Oklahomans on a daily basis because we are not providing them the necessary mental health treatment.”

Clabes and other law enforcement officials flanked state Mental Health Commissioner Terri White in front of the Oklahoma Crisis Recovery Unit in Oklahoma City as she announced dire consequences from a $75 million cut to the department's budget if elected leaders don't act.

Mental health and substance abuse services often start in the back of a police car. In 2013, the Oklahoma City Police Department responded to more than 10,000 mental health calls. That number rose to more than 16,000 last year. This year, the department expects to handle more than 18,000.