The Eye took note of the Journal’s claim that 50 people showed up at the Civic Plaza on Tuesday to protest against APD. There were several signs that asked for peace and justice. The Eye wants to know where were all these “family and friends” who know their loved one was mentally ill and did very little or nothing to ensure that, that person received medical attention or assured that their friend or loved one took the medication to help control their violent behavior?
When the police dealt with any of these individuals, it was not because the police were on the hunt for some mentally ill person to see if they could escalate that person into a violent psychosis; in the hope of being able to gun them down. No! The police were there because someone, a family member or friend or a neighbor called the police because they could not handle this violent individual or the police were there as a result of the violent behavior that was precipitated by the mentally ill individual.
These people who claim to be family and friends have to bear the majority of the responsibility for what transpired. The police have a fiduciary duty to respond to calls for service. Does any citizen want the police to create a policy where the dispatchers hold the call for an hour or so, in hopes that the mentally ill individual might calm down and be “Mister Nice” when the police arrive? Lives are on the line; the police must respond and act accordingly.
The Journal (as usual) was trying to sell a few extras of their product to try and inflame the public. Let’s do the math here. If there were 50 people (the Journal claims about 50) out protesting and there have been 18 police involved shootings, which means that only three people represented each victim.
This is not a local police issue but a national crisis and should be addressed as such. Chief Schultz is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) which offers national support for police issues in addition to the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). The IACP and the FOP Presidents have spoken directly to the President of the United Stated as well as our Congress. With assistance at a national level, not only from the FOP and IACP but from our house of representatives and our senators Understanding HIPAA and other restrictive laws, the time has come to create a new index for National Crime Information Center Data Base (NCIC) to house information concerning mentally ill persons across the United States. The NCIC data base is a computerized index of criminal justice information. This would give law enforcement officers across the Country a valuable tool in dealing with this segment of our population. Knowledge is the rawest form of influence and with this type of knowledge (influence); the officer’s decision making process would shift into high gear and hopefully save lives.
The Eye understands the concerns of a grieving family. Family and friends should be part of the solution and not part of the problem. Family and friends should take responsibility for their mentally ill member’s actions that set the stage for their demise and stop pointing fingers. These people need to lobby their representatives and senators.
If Schultz or White want to steal this idea and run with it; the Eye is okay with that…
20 comments:
I oppose any "labeling" of someone with mental issues. Who gets included? Define mental illness.
Actually its kind of scary. I recall during the Cold War days the former Soviet Union labeled high level/celebrity critics as "mentally ill" and locked them up.
Shame shame on The Eye for such ignorance when it comes to adult mental health issues. This article is a perfect example of why LEO's should have at the minimal, an associates degree. If I understand your garbage correctly, you state that the problem lies with the family who doesn't babysit and force meds down the throat of an adult family member who is stricken with a mental illness. The Ghost Has Eyes should educate him/herself about the adult civil commitment process before writing such BS. Let me remind you...John Hyde. If I'm not mistaken, even John Hyde reached out for help prior to going on his killing spree, only to be turned away. In that case, you had an actual mental health patient screaming for help and he was turned away. Can you imagine if it was a family member of his screaming for help? What help, if any, would you, The Ghost Has Eyes have provided if it was you who responded to a family members cry for help? Enlighten me....
I agree with june 16th @ 1:37. This is another example of poor "journalism" if we can stretch that word to cover the EYE! And the problem that is even worse is that people come to this blog for information and what they get is rumor based trash. READER BEWARE!!! the EYE is a fraud
Why don't the family members produce evidence that they actually did try to do get their mentally ill family members help? I would like to see evidence that they petitioned the courts to have them committed. That they reached out to mental health groups to commit their family members while they received treatment.
The odds are none of that ever happend. It is easier just to blame the cops when things finally reach a point where the mentally ill person is harming themselves or others.
Before you can start tossing stones at the police, prove to the rest of us that you attempted to help the mentally ill member, and that you didn't enable their illness.
You can not blame The Eye for stating the truth. Sorry to everyone that is hurting. I know many families attempted to get their love one help,but in New Mexico, help can only come if the person is willing to go ( 14 YEARS OLD AND ABOVE ). That is right a 14 year old child can refuse treatment. Then their is the money issue, you better have good insurance and be prepared to pay over $15,000.00 IN CO-payments. We have a family member that is out of control. That person has been for treatment ( in house ) several times. Now there is no more money and that member does not want help. The family has been finanically destroyed, marriage has been strained to the breaking point,Mom and Dad blame themself and walk around waiting for the shoe to fall. Every time the telephone rings you jump expecting the worse. Then you start thinking that if the person dies, it may be for the best. Then you start hating yourself for even daring to have such a thought. When that day comes, and it will,I will of course along with the rest of the family be sadden beyond repair. At the same time I will be relieved this person can not hurt anyone else, and pray they did not hurt anyone. I will watch the family blame themself. One thing I will not do is blame the Police if they are involved in the end. If you are a family going through this than you know every word I wrote is the truth. If you are not you have no idea what these families are going through , PLEASE SHUT UP ! The hard truth is The Eye is right.
I disagree with the second and third posters above. There is nothing wrong with posing the question, that's what free press and blogs are all about. You and I may not agree but we are free to express our opinion.
While I personally oppose any data base or collection of information on any ones mental health I do strongly believe the family plays a role. But the role is limited if your dealing with an adult. The Chris Torres case for example. Chris Torres should never had been allowed to get behind the wheel once it became known he was endangering citizens. If the car was in his name then the issue becomes difficult and may require taking him to court. But I have a feeling Chris Torres didn't buy his own car without assistance/co-signer thus the family became an enabler.
Speaking of Chris Torres, he was shot in the back three times according to the autopsy. What's up with that APD?
Chris Torres had his hands on the gun of another police officer. He had actually disarmed that officer. That is why the backup officer shot him in the back.
Would it make more sense to you that Torres starting shooting the officer he disarmed and was then shot in the back?
The media will do anything to sell commercial time. That means inflaming passions and not telling the entire story. The truth, many times, is very boring. Easier to make the headline "Cops shoot man three times in back" Instead of saying "man who disarmed a police officer was shot and killed by a back up officer". The first one sells advertising, the second one sells the truth. KRQE showed they want to sell advertising.
This is dumb and APD is in need of it's own dose of therapy or intervention. I mean, take an honest look at the stock of commanders and lieutenants, with but a few exceptions they are all a joke. No wonder the dept is in crisis it's being managed and administered by wannabe know nothings.
Because he was facing the other cop with the officers gun in his hands. I guess the officer should have walked around to face him so he could shoot him in the front or make it easier for Torres to shoot both officers that way.
REF: Torres conversation
If I understand the cops in this forum correctly, two professionally trained police officers couldn't handle Chris Torres without killing him but yet the incident at Garcia's involved a weapon and untrained civilians were able to subdue/restrain Chris with minimal effort? Come on guys, you can do better than that?!? If that is the case, then the untrained civilians showed more discernment, discipline and tact than the bozo cops that showed up at Chris's house. Sounds like some are unqualified to do their job eh? Just like your boss Darren? Speaking of Darren, it's great to witness a matanza with cops in attendance....once again The Eye...FAIL!
Hey schlitz how's you're system of good ol boys treating you. SID has had 3 major incidents since West put his buds Brown and 'I wanna be a commander' Rosemon took over. They all are such great supervisors and we thought Hudson sucked. Keep up the good work Brown and Rosemon that guarantees a promotion. SID needs to stop with the good ol boys.
What did APD tell the news media immediately following the Torres incident? Did they say Torres was shot in the back, NO. And why was SWAT and the bomb squad called to the scene? You can criticize the news media but as I see it, they aren't the only ones spinning tales.
I guess Pete Dwyer is just an innocent victim of the news media too, right? His comments express his state of mind which is scary given he has a gun and badge. I think he should be the first one named for the proposed mental deficient data base. As I see it he does have a mental health issue.
The officer who got disarmed should maybe do some hard thinking about his choice of career. He could have gotten them both killed.
Been following the Eye for some time now, back when it didn't just focus on APD issues.
Disappointed in the posts lately: there is so much more going on in Metro Public Safety land that you aren't addressing, despite people sending you the data.
You've lost my respect by continuing a narrow-minded witch-hunt. If you hate Darren so much, make a separate blog about it!
I am by no means saying he's perfect, but he is one symptom of a larger problem. As was Dantis, Lucero, etc. Time to do some homework and open your worldview.
To the 7:58 poster
Two trained APD officers were gunned down by another mentally ill person back in 2005. Do you have the same opinion of that?
What don't you people understand? These folks are a danger. The officer that was disarmed should not consider new work. All officers know that bad guys will try to take your gun. The majority of officers killed by firearms, are killed by their own. Did you know that? I guess not. The citizens want a utopia, well it starts at home, and right now the folks at home are not doing their jobs.
RE: 10:57 PM Cop
My opinion of the John Hyde case is this. For starters, hearing all you coppers complain in here, why the hell would one go back to street patrol if you are already retired? Get an education, get a real job. Secondly, John Hyde reached out for help in the days prior to his rampage. Where were you copper to help? And if you were able to make contact with him, what would you have done to help him? Let me guess....PC for a night at MDC? What is it that you coppers don't understand? People don't chose to be mentally ill! So answer my question cop...how can untrained civilians take control of a situation with a weapon and two professionally trained clowns in uniform couldn't? Can you say inept and unfit to carry out a job? Own your shit cops and maybe you'll get more respect, until then, you are just glorified janitors I'll call to come clean the mess when I'm done taking care of business.
mentally ill = bad guy?
An education would definitely benefit you coppers. Take a class in Psychology and Ethics at the minimal and I guarantee your view of mentally ill will change. I guess ignorance is bliss but unfortunately at the public's expense.
RE: 10:57 PM Cop
Your statistic for cops killed by their own guns is false. Fourth paragraph down....56 officer deaths for FY '10...Seven (7) died by getting their weapon taken from them. On the contrary, 72 dead from driving like assholes, go figure! Enjoy the read cop....
http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-releases-preliminary-statistics-for-law-enforcement-officers-killed-in-2010
Thanks to the 10:57 poster for putting forth some great points and igniting a debate. None of us wants to see a gun taken from a cop nor a citizen shot but shit happens.
I still want to know why SWAT and the bomb squad were called to the Torres scene though.
You guys should lighten up on APD. I just read a story about an officer in Utah who placed his pistol on the trunk or roof of his car (reason unknown) and then forgot to put it back into the holster before he drove off. The gun is loaded, they can't find it and now are offering a $200 reward to anyone returning it. Given a choice between $200 and a Glock, I think I would keep the Glock.
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