Police deny putting pressure on his neck. Three days later, the year-old Navy veteran and Filipino immigrant died at a hospital. It is the latest stark example of the perils of policing people with mental health issues. In response to several high-profile deaths of people with mental health issues in police custody, lawmakers in at least eight states are introducing legislation to change how law enforcement agencies respond to those in crisis. The proposals lean heavily on additional training for officers on how to interact with people with mental health problems.
But none of the proposals appear to address the root question: Should police be the ones responding when someone is mentally ill? In California, lawmakers introduced legislation on Feb. In New York, lawmakers in January proposed an effort to require law enforcement to complete a minimum of 32 credit hours of training that would include techniques on de-escalation and interacting with people who have mental health issues. Similarly, in Utah, the mother of year-old Linden Cameron called in September because he was having a breakdown and she needed help from a crisis intervention officer.
Salt Lake City police ended up shooting him multiple times as he ran away because they believed he made threats involving a weapon. He was hospitalized, and no weapon was found. The officers were not crisis intervention specialists but had some mental health training.
Last month, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed legislation that will create a council to standardize training for police crisis intervention teams statewide. At least 34 states already require officers to have training or other education on interacting with people who have physical or mental health conditions. But law enforcement experts say updated training is needed and agencies are far behind.
Some of the new legislation looks to strengthen or improve standards. But because mental health training is a mandate in a majority of states, some advocates and experts believe it may never fully prepare officers on how to respond. The Treatment Advocacy Center, a nonprofit dedicated to getting treatment for the mentally ill, concluded in a report those with untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed during a police encounter than others.
