![]() ![]() Over half of all law enforcement interactions were initiated by citizens, while about 47% were initiated by law enforcement. Additionally, one in twenty (5.5%), or 14 million Americans, suffer from a serious mental illness (SMI) such as schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and bipolar disorder (SAMHSA, 2023)Īccording to a recent Bureau of Justice Statistics report, more than 53 million Americans, or 21% of those aged 16 and older, had contact with the police in 2020 (Tapp & Davis, 2022). The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health posits that one in five (22.8%), or 58 million Americans aged 18 and over, suffer from a mental illness (SAMHSA, 2023). The purpose of this policy brief is to help identify the current practices utilized by law enforcement in responding to the mentally ill, as well to provide a recommendation for law enforcement agencies seeking to improve their current approaches.Īccording to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), mental illnesses are behavioral or psychological disorders which reflect underlying psychological and biological dysfunction that may result from significant distress or disability (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). While the poor and unfair treatment of minorities by law enforcement should not be minimized, this wave of criticism has largely overshadowed law enforcement’s ineffective and harmful responses to their mentally ill citizens. Law enforcement has received heavy criticism in recent years for their role in the deaths of unarmed Black men, including Michael Brown, George Floyd, and Eric Garner. In 2022, Officer Andrew Hall was found guilty of assault with a firearm and sentenced to 6 years in prison. Laudemer was struck nine times and pronounced dead at the scene. ![]() However, when this proved unsuccessful, Officer Hall exited his vehicle and fired his weapon at Laudemer's car. Officer Hall attempted to blockade Laudemer's car, which was reportedly traveling at only six miles per hour. Laudemer had a history of mental illness and had been hospitalized earlier that year. This incident occurred after a resident reported a suspicious person knocking on doors and loitering in a Danville cul-de-sac. On November 3, 2018, 33-year-old Laudemer Arboleda was fatally shot by Danville Police Officer Andrew Hall following a slow-speed chase through the suburban neighborhood of Danville, California (Gecker, 2022). ![]()
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