Friday, October 25, 2013

Are police shootings of mentally ill on the rise?

The shooting of a mentally ill man by a Dallas officer and mendacious police reports by the shooter and his partner covering up the true events are sure to bring questions about policing the mentally ill to the fore, particularly in Big D. In that case, it's clear in retrospect the officers were never under attack. But the Wall Street Journal reported this week (Oct. 22) that:
Anecdotal evidence suggests violent attacks on police officers by mentally unstable people have been increasing over the past decade, said James Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents 330,000 law-enforcement officers. Definitive data is scarce, in part because mental-health records are restricted by federal regulations and state laws. ...

The Federal Bureau of Investigation keeps track of instances of "justifiable homicide," which it defines as "the killing of a felon by a law-enforcement officer in the line of duty," but it doesn't note which of those involve mental illness. While crime rates nationally have fallen almost every year since the late 1990s, justifiable homicides by police officers have risen, from 297 in 2000 to 410 in 2012.

Hidden within that category is what is known informally as "suicide by cop," when a person intentionally provokes an officer into using lethal force. Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, in Washington, D.C., which researches law-enforcement issues, said he believes this type of suicide is increasing in frequency.
The Oct. 14 Dallas episode would have been portrayed as just another statistic to plug into the following graphic if it weren't for home surveillance footage capturing the event:


The case in Dallas shows that "justifiable" is often in the eye of the beholder. If there hadn't been video, Grits has little doubt the shooting would have been dismissed by the media and police brass as another "isolated incident," with local officials and the police union piously blaming the victim in the press. Grits has maintained the instance provides a strong argument for departments requiring officers to wear body cams they cannot disable to prevent or defuse those sorts of he-said she-said conflicts. The mother of the Dallas victim told the Morning News she:
wants officers to wear cameras on their uniforms from now on.

Brown, who offered apologies to [the victim's family] at the news conference, said he would consider uniform video cameras, which he called “the future of law enforcement.”

But for now, Jackson said she is afraid to call the police. She said she is fortunate there was a video.
“Other citizens — they have no leg to stand on unless they’ve got a video,” she said.
She's got a point. The Dallas case, - as well as the WSJ story, which is full of tragic anecdotes - serves as a cautionary tale for people with mentally ill family members. Folks may be less likely to call for help when mentally ill family members become out of control if they think, as in Dallas, their son, daughter, sibling,  etc., may be shot on sight.

17 comments:

Lee said...

I am still trying to understand the recent police shootings. Like in your previous post you discussed the dangerousness of the job, I still continue to wonder is every civilian out their with their hands in their pockets or holding a dark object really a threat to every cop. Look at this story from CNN about police killing a 13 year old kid for playing with a toy gun on the sidewalk (http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/24/justice/california-fake-rifle-boy-killed/index.html?hpt=ju_c2). Do we need to better train our civilians how to deal with cops or better train our cops to deal with civilians?

Anonymous said...

Sorry to go a little off topic, Grits, but I'm assuming you might have inadvertently overlooked this little nugget from today's Associated Press: "The violent crime rate went up 15 percent last year, and the property crime rate rose 12 percent, the government said Thursday, signs that the nation may be seeing the last of the substantial declines in crime of the past two decades." Well, well, well, how funny that this might correspond with the recent "smart on crime" de-incarceration effort advocated by Grover Norquist, Jerry Maddon and, of course, the liberals. How long is it going to take for everyone to figure out this simple concept: you lock criminals up, crime goes down; you turn criminals loose, crime goes up. Duh!!!

Anonymous said...

If there is no victim, there is no crime. When the government legislates otherwise it is tyranny.

Gritsforbreakfast said...

I doubt you're very sorry, 12:38. We'll get there, don't worry. For now, keep in mind that's a survey, not reported crime. Further, correlation is not causation.

I've consistently said that you can't look at single-year fluctuations up or down. You have to go by long-term trends and right now crime is at 40 year lows. Nobody expected crime to go down forever. Maybe it has plateaued, maybe not, but one year's survey data proves nothing either way, anonymous sniping notwithstanding.

Anonymous said...

Man if I pulled out a gun and shot someone, I'd (1) get beaten by the cops, (2) handcuffed and hauled to jail and (3)be charged with attempted murder. Why is the hell is this police officer walking free? Why did that judge not sign to arrest warrant? Man, we really are living in a police state. Why have they not posted that Judge's name and district? How come we don't have a picture of the cop that shot that man. My face would be on the front page of the DMN. Why are they protecting this thug cop? I'd like to know what he looks like so I can run like hell if I ever see him in Dallas. This is a bad rub folks and these people here in Dallas are really getting pissed at all these police shootings occurring here. Dallas might burn if they fail to charge that cop. If that victim was a brother of color, that would have set this town on fire.

Anonymous said...

09:26

There are now reports stating this kid was shot 8-times in his back within 10-seconds of the cops radioing they had a suspicious person with a gun.

This just might be the case that causes all hell to break loose.

Anonymous said...

It's very tense here in Dallas. The black community is upset about a previous police shooting in Dallas and now this happens. I'm telling you straight up, this has a mood to it that I've never experienced. Like I said earlier, if that poor guy had been a brother of color, Dallas would be burning down right now. In that case, I think we'd join them (except we really don't know how to riot...lol!). This is just horrible. I've seen upper class folks going off on Dallas officers (verbally) just ridiculing them on this latest news. Not all cops are bad.... I get that but there have been too many instances of police non-sense in a short period of time here in L.A..... errr Dallas. Does anyone have a picture of that cop who did this??

Anonymous said...

I hope if there are riots that this time the rich neighborhoods and white businesses get destroyed. When it's the poor neighborhoods and black businesses that are burned it doesn't send the right message to mayors. But if it were the white-owned corporations and the wealthy white neighborhoods that faced destruction, you'd definitely see some change. Burn, baby, burn...

albeed said...

12:38 PM

You sound exactly like someone on another blog. Why are you hiding your identity?

Anonymous said...

Scott, I'm sure you're keeping up with Radley, but today's column is fantastic: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/25/utah-police-reform_n_4150625.html?1382700580

Gritsforbreakfast said...

albeed, Bill Otis never writes under his own name when he visits here, but he can't resist running his mouth, anyway. Like you, I can usually tell who it is but just don't care about him enough to call him out. As you can see over at SL and P, he somehow thinks hijacking comment threads is his God-given right. But he only ever has one thing to say and it's the same mantra no matter what the news.

rodsmith said...

i have to agree. the cop needs to be in jail. Just like any normal citizen who comitted the same thing would be. As for the govt fucktard judge. He just needs to be on the unemployment line!

Anonymous said...

You know, 12:38 wrote this ..."The violent crime rate went up 15 percent last year, and the property crime rate rose 12 percent, the government said Thursday, signs that the nation may be seeing the last of the substantial declines in crime of the past two decades." The government said? Well hell, that calls everything to question and this case GFB wrote about kinda supports the fact that the government pretty much embellishes the facts as evidenced by what this thug cop did and wrote as well as his partner. I don't believe that shit anymore man. As long as these cops keep lying like they did in this case, why would I or anyone else accept those stats are reflecting the truth? I mean, the victim in this current case was going to be charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, which we know is not true. If it wasn't for the 3rd party's video tape evidence, then he would have been included in your inflated stats. Until we have body cameras on these officers, I will never accept those type of stats are being accurate.

rodsmith said...

i'm with you 5:03 sorry but in todays society there is no reaon to think the cop is any more truthfull then the criminal at the defense table. Absent video the correct response to any cop on the stand should.

Whoppee. No video! It didn't happen. Defendant is released!

IT should stay that way untill they can prove that they can clean thier own house. instead of thier usual response. Put them on the head as long as no video comes out. Then if it shows up. Give them a paid vacation while under investigation till the heat blows over.

Anonymous said...

The DMN (Rag) published a grainy pic of the victim and the shooter a few days after the crime but failed to include his partner in crime. You know, the one that conspired to make his / her report reflect the cover-up version of events.

In Texas, we call this bullshit -bidness as usual. Over at Simple Justice, it's, documented in the "But for Video" series. And it's damn sure not an Isolated Incident, it's kindling for a future bonfires.

Anonymous said...

Police Chief Brown, Tear (the rest of) This Blue Wall Of Silence Down!

Anonymous said...

New article about police shootings: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/oct/28/police-shooting-raise-force-issue/