Police and Aiding for Mentally Ill Civilians
Mackenzie Elle Knight
Mackenzie Elle Knight
“People with untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed during a police encounter than other civilians approached or stopped by law enforcement,” according to a new study released by the Treatment Advocacy Center. There have been numerous police reports issued to law enforcement for their assistance in dealing with mentally-ill civilians. Ray Bonner believes, “Police officers are not uh equipped to deal with um mentally-ill patients.”
Ida Bonner explains, “Police are not physicians they do not um have the same patience.” A police officer’s job is to protect and serve people, not provide medical care to patients because they are not equipped in that field. Police have commenced being trained by programs on how to deal with people living with a mental illness when that is not the initial reason they took the job. Ida Bonner clarifies, “The people who are um uh professionally trained to deal with [mentally-ill civilians]. The people who went to school for it.”
Ray emphatically says, “Police and healthcare workers are trained utterly different.”
It should be health-care professionals coming to them first. With cases like this law enforcement need to be able to separate the patient from an average citizen.
When they are called to a scene dealing with a mental health crisis, it is often it does not end well. In 2018, KeithVidal, 16, was diagnosed with Schizophrenia by a Psychiatrist. Alisa Roth explains the encounter, “The psychiatrist started him on medications, but the Friday after Christmas, he seemed depressed, and [his parents] were afraid he might try to kill himself. His mother called his psychiatrist, who told her to bring Keith to the hospital. The plan was to admit him for two or three days, just long enough to adjust his medication, and then send him home. Keith had passed [his] 18th birthday, [so] under the law, he was now an adult. If he didn’t want to be hospitalized, then his mother would have to petition for an involuntary commitment — unless the police or EMTs brought him in.”
Tish Marshall responds, “I believe citizens living with a mental illness should be an exception because some might need assistance.”
Ida agrees, “[Police] should not be in authority what happens if the police see the patients with a weapon. From the stat, it seems that they will draw their gun as a reflex.”
Ray emphasizes, “I think civilians living with mental illness need supervision regardless of their age, only if they cannot manage stability on their own.”
That Friday, Mary Wilsey, mother of Keith Vidal, called the police and enlightened the officer with her son’s condition. The officer was sympathetic about the situation and gave Keith an ultimatum to either agree to go to the hospital with his mother or be taken away in a squad car or ambulance. According to Roth, “Keith agreed to go with his mother. At the hospital, a clinician asked Keith questions about how he was feeling. When Keith said he was neither suicidal nor homicidal — not a danger to himself or to others — the hospital said he was free to go. His mother says she doesn’t think he ever saw a psychiatrist that day and is unsure of the qualifications of the person who examined Keith.” Ray thinks, “The physicians probably viewed it as another client that was unhinged.”
“Mary says nobody would listen when she tried to explain that Keith’s own psychiatrist had sent him for a medication adjustment.”
The following Sunday, Mary came home from the grocery store and Keith thought she was somebody else. He asked Mary if she wanted to fight, yet she was not fearful of her life but the well-being of his. She believed he would harm himself because he could not understand what she was saying. Once again, she called the police to make sure he would actually be hospitalized, so her husband called 911. Later, two officers with the ambulance, Mary reported that cops told EMTs to wait in the hallway while they cased the scene. Keith had pulled out a screwdriver and one of the officers began talking to Keith, who was hesitant to put down the tool.
“Although Keith was calm, the officer called for backup. Bryon Vassey, an officer on the neighboring Southport Police Department for 11 years, showed up. “I don’t have time for this s***,” Mary Wilsey heard him say as he came in. Two EMTs later testified that Vassey had announced, “I’m here to kick a*** and take names.” The first two officers were still talking to Keith when Vassey walked in. He had barely entered the house, Wilsey said he yelled for the other officers to tase the boy. Hearing the order, Keith turned and ran into the bathroom. When he came out, one of the officers tased him. He fell to the ground, stunned, and “at that point,” Wilsey recalled, “we all rushed him.” There were two officers across his chest; his stepfather was at his side, trying to get the screwdriver. Wilsey was behind her husband. Seconds later, Vassey pulled out his gun and shot the boy in the chest. The EMTs rushed him to the local hospital, where he was declared dead.”
The entire situation became chaotic when officer Vassey came into the home, Ray believes, “Well, when the police came in [the house] they could have just made sure the situation was under control, and then brought in the EMTs because the police were speaking with Keith casually as he was holding the screwdriver.”
Bonner adds, “EMTs should have handled it because [the] police do not know um his full history, and how he would react to weapons pointing at him.”
Along with the police officer violating many protocols, Pamela Turner, Laquan McDonald, Magdiel Sanchez, Connor Liebel, etc. were all victims of police killing them while they carried a mental illness. Considering that those officers violated many protocols as well, it is evident that police aiding people who are living with a mental illness do not go together. There have been too many instances where the innocents have lost their lives because the officer believes instead of using non-lethal weapons they have to kill them automatically when no threat is present. So when discussing mentally ill patients they need to have special care that will accommodate their needs fully, and not be threatened or be put in a life-threatening situation due to their illness they cannot control.
Ida Bonner explains, “Police are not physicians they do not um have the same patience.” A police officer’s job is to protect and serve people, not provide medical care to patients because they are not equipped in that field. Police have commenced being trained by programs on how to deal with people living with a mental illness when that is not the initial reason they took the job. Ida Bonner clarifies, “The people who are um uh professionally trained to deal with [mentally-ill civilians]. The people who went to school for it.”
Ray emphatically says, “Police and healthcare workers are trained utterly different.”
It should be health-care professionals coming to them first. With cases like this law enforcement need to be able to separate the patient from an average citizen.
When they are called to a scene dealing with a mental health crisis, it is often it does not end well. In 2018, KeithVidal, 16, was diagnosed with Schizophrenia by a Psychiatrist. Alisa Roth explains the encounter, “The psychiatrist started him on medications, but the Friday after Christmas, he seemed depressed, and [his parents] were afraid he might try to kill himself. His mother called his psychiatrist, who told her to bring Keith to the hospital. The plan was to admit him for two or three days, just long enough to adjust his medication, and then send him home. Keith had passed [his] 18th birthday, [so] under the law, he was now an adult. If he didn’t want to be hospitalized, then his mother would have to petition for an involuntary commitment — unless the police or EMTs brought him in.”
Tish Marshall responds, “I believe citizens living with a mental illness should be an exception because some might need assistance.”
Ida agrees, “[Police] should not be in authority what happens if the police see the patients with a weapon. From the stat, it seems that they will draw their gun as a reflex.”
Ray emphasizes, “I think civilians living with mental illness need supervision regardless of their age, only if they cannot manage stability on their own.”
That Friday, Mary Wilsey, mother of Keith Vidal, called the police and enlightened the officer with her son’s condition. The officer was sympathetic about the situation and gave Keith an ultimatum to either agree to go to the hospital with his mother or be taken away in a squad car or ambulance. According to Roth, “Keith agreed to go with his mother. At the hospital, a clinician asked Keith questions about how he was feeling. When Keith said he was neither suicidal nor homicidal — not a danger to himself or to others — the hospital said he was free to go. His mother says she doesn’t think he ever saw a psychiatrist that day and is unsure of the qualifications of the person who examined Keith.” Ray thinks, “The physicians probably viewed it as another client that was unhinged.”
“Mary says nobody would listen when she tried to explain that Keith’s own psychiatrist had sent him for a medication adjustment.”
The following Sunday, Mary came home from the grocery store and Keith thought she was somebody else. He asked Mary if she wanted to fight, yet she was not fearful of her life but the well-being of his. She believed he would harm himself because he could not understand what she was saying. Once again, she called the police to make sure he would actually be hospitalized, so her husband called 911. Later, two officers with the ambulance, Mary reported that cops told EMTs to wait in the hallway while they cased the scene. Keith had pulled out a screwdriver and one of the officers began talking to Keith, who was hesitant to put down the tool.
“Although Keith was calm, the officer called for backup. Bryon Vassey, an officer on the neighboring Southport Police Department for 11 years, showed up. “I don’t have time for this s***,” Mary Wilsey heard him say as he came in. Two EMTs later testified that Vassey had announced, “I’m here to kick a*** and take names.” The first two officers were still talking to Keith when Vassey walked in. He had barely entered the house, Wilsey said he yelled for the other officers to tase the boy. Hearing the order, Keith turned and ran into the bathroom. When he came out, one of the officers tased him. He fell to the ground, stunned, and “at that point,” Wilsey recalled, “we all rushed him.” There were two officers across his chest; his stepfather was at his side, trying to get the screwdriver. Wilsey was behind her husband. Seconds later, Vassey pulled out his gun and shot the boy in the chest. The EMTs rushed him to the local hospital, where he was declared dead.”
The entire situation became chaotic when officer Vassey came into the home, Ray believes, “Well, when the police came in [the house] they could have just made sure the situation was under control, and then brought in the EMTs because the police were speaking with Keith casually as he was holding the screwdriver.”
Bonner adds, “EMTs should have handled it because [the] police do not know um his full history, and how he would react to weapons pointing at him.”
Along with the police officer violating many protocols, Pamela Turner, Laquan McDonald, Magdiel Sanchez, Connor Liebel, etc. were all victims of police killing them while they carried a mental illness. Considering that those officers violated many protocols as well, it is evident that police aiding people who are living with a mental illness do not go together. There have been too many instances where the innocents have lost their lives because the officer believes instead of using non-lethal weapons they have to kill them automatically when no threat is present. So when discussing mentally ill patients they need to have special care that will accommodate their needs fully, and not be threatened or be put in a life-threatening situation due to their illness they cannot control.
