Originally Posted by
acecrackshot
As far as officers responding to mental health calls, do you think the police asked for that mission? Nope, they got it when we de-institutionalized the mental ill, starting in the Kennedy Administration and continuing for the next 60 years. Police officers themselves will consistently say they aren't manned-trained-equipped to handle that...but they are given the mission set anyway.
Police are not trained for that response. Redeployment of resources from traditional police to community responders that more correctly effect the needs of the community is an excellent idea. Having said that, currently they respond and citizens are being killed and that is not justifiable. Here’s the rub: Police would argue, privately of course, that they cannot be properly trained to respond to people in mental crisis as they run the risk of losing their qualified immunity defense if they hurt or kill someone. The “I was never taught how to properly deal with the situation so I killed the victim” is a valid Immunity defense. I don’t care whether they asked for the “mission” or not. If they do it, and do it improperly, they must be held accountable.