Policing the Mentally Ill (Update)

 

We (The Advisory Commission for Persons with Disabilities) will be speaking with law enforcement this evening about interactions between the police and with people with mental health issues. It isn't just autism. Among the other disorders, Personality Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Dissociative Disorders, Psychotic Disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Impulse Control Disorders, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Mood Disorders.

"More than 1 in 5 people fatally shot by police have mental illnesses, according to a Washington Post database of fatal U.S. shootings by on-duty police officers. Since 2015, when The Post launched its database, police have fatally shot more than 1,400 people with mental illnesses. Angela Kimball, national director of advocacy and public policy for NAMI, said she believes the numbers are so high because people in mental health crises do not always respond in ways officers want them to. "Police are trained to respond to a situation with a goal of protecting public safety and their own safety," she said. "They are used to using interventions that are designed to contain somebody that is perceived as a danger." Kimball said that during mental health crises, the presence of police officers, coupled with the uniforms and shouting, is quite often "counterintuitive" and that it can lead to tragedy. Many law enforcement agencies use the "Memphis Model" for crisis intervention training, or CIT. Kimball said the program requires about 40 hours of training in mental health diagnoses, drug use issues and de-escalation tactics. "It's really more of a concept of community engagement. Part of it is about law enforcement developing those connections with homeless shelters and with community mental health systems like hospitals so that everybody is working together," Kimball said. Last year, the FCC designated 988 as a nationwide number for mental health crisis and suicide prevention services and is set to go live in July 2022. Kimball said the number will be a good alternative to 911 because "there's a mobile crisis team of behavioral health professionals who can help defuse the situation, connect people to treatment and get them on a path to recovery."

Autism Speaks came up with these guidelines:

A person with autism might:

• Have an impaired sense of danger.
• Wander to bodies of water, traffic or other dangers.
• Be overwhelmed by police presence.
• Fear a person in uniform (ex. fire turnout gear) or exhibit curiosity and reach for objects/equipment (ex. shiny badge or handcuffs).
• React with "fight" or "flight".
• Not respond to "stop" or other commands.
• Have delayed speech and language skills.
• Not respond to his/her name or verbal commands.
• Avoid eye contact.
• Engage in repetitive behavior (ex. rocking, stimming, hand flapping, spinning).
• Have sensory perception issues.
• Have epilepsy or seizure disorder.

If a first responder is able to identify that a child or adult may have autism, he or she can then respond in a way that best supports the individual. 

When interacting with a person with autism:

• Be patient and give the person space.
• Use simple and concrete sentences.
• Give plenty of time for person to process and respond.
• Be alert to signs of increased frustration and try to eliminate the source if possible as behavior may escalate.
• Avoid quick movements and loud noises.
• Do not touch the person unless absolutely necessary.
• Use information from caregiver, if available, on how to best respond.

General training guidelines*:

• Law enforcement agencies should proactively train their sworn workforce, especially trainers, patrol supervisors, and school resource officers, to recognize the behavioral symptoms and characteristics of a child or adult who has autism, and learn basic response techniques.
• A training program should be designed to allow officers to better protect and serve the public and make the best use of your valuable time, and avoid mistakes that can lead to lawsuits and negative media scrutiny, loss of confidence from the community, morale problems, and lifelong trauma for all involved.
• A good autism recognition and response workshop is designed to inform law enforcement professionals about the risks associated with autism, and offers suggestions and options about how to address those risks.

UPDATE 

The training officer that said he was willing to go over their protocols for dealing with people that have emotional and mental challenges could not attend our meeting. He gave us thumb drive with his presentation, but that left us with more questions than answers.