Police Killed Our Patient

Published

Very disturbing...one of our frequent psych patients (d/c'd) was picked up by the police. For what, I don't know. But I've never known the guy to assaultive. Agitated at times, yes. Assaultive, no.

Police apparently had him and he got agitated. He was Taser'd a few times and died when he got to our hospital.

This is the fourth time *this year* that police in our area have ended up killing a psych patient. Mostly from Tasering, once from being 'restrained' according to the news.

I just think police need some training on dealing with mentally ill people. This is a crying shame. Mentally ill and agitated is not the same as criminal!

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How horribly sad... I'm so sorry. I hope this is followed up on. Please keep us posted!

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did he have a cardiac hx? how is a police officer supposed to know this ?

I am sorry that this person died; but officers have a right to defend themselves.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Three taser deaths in a year? Tasered "a few times"? They couldn't secure him with one taser?

Aggressive pysch patients can be strong and dangerous and scarey.

It is sad.

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Specializes in Public Health, DEI.

Being mentally ill and agitated is not in and of itself criminal, but those conditions don't exclude a person from criminal activity. Have these deaths been investigated? After a series of such deaths here, a Citizens' Police Review Board was created. The board has still found most such incidents (although not all) to be justified.

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For the most part, once should be enough to bring a combative suspect of average ht and wt under control. But, as with everything else in life, there are exceptions.

My dh and he fellow officers have been tased. It is part of their training. They know what it feels like and how painful it is. DH would rather use a taser than his gun anyday.

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Specializes in Utilization Management.
Very disturbing...one of our frequent psych patients (d/c'd) was picked up by the police. For what, I don't know. But I've never known the guy to assaultive. Agitated at times, yes. Assaultive, no.

Police apparently had him and he got agitated. He was Taser'd a few times and died when he got to our hospital.

This is the fourth time *this year* that police in our area have ended up killing a psych patient. Mostly from Tasering, once from being 'restrained' according to the news.

I just think police need some training on dealing with mentally ill people. This is a crying shame. Mentally ill and agitated is not the same as criminal!

They are policemen, not healthcare professionals.

We are trained to "bring someone down" without any other weapons than 4-points, six pairs of hands, and a hefty dose of IV Ativan.

They're trained to be very confrontational--the opposite of the approach we view as acceptable for psych patients. Unlike us, they're allowed to defend themselves with whatever means they feel necessary.

I'm saying it rather clumsily here, but what I'm trying to say is that the normal policeman vs. psych patient interaction is not a de-escalating situation, but rather an escalating one. The typical psych patient who behaves in a bizarre fashion and can often appear to have a weapon, triggers the trained response from the law enforcement officer--he defends HIMSELF first. This exacerbates the response from the psych patient, because now the psych patient's life really IS in danger.

I agree that it's horrible that so many psych patients who are acting out are treated as criminals, but the problem is that there is no easy way to distinguish the nonviolent psych patients who are having a psychotic break from the criminally violent ones who are on a rampage.

But God, I wish there was.....what a tragedy for these people who are trapped in an illness and cannot get the right help. :scrying:

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Angie- I couldn't agree with you more. It is SO sad to see something like this happen... I agree that as nurses we have such a different viewpoint than as police officers, out there not knowing who is a "harmless" psychotic and who may be out to kill them. You can't blame the cops and you can't blame the mentally ill... so terribly sad.

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

Yes, Lori, it is.

Almost makes you wish that every police department had a "psych SWAT team" consisting of a shrink and a couple of nurses for these crazy situations. But then, most of them evolve very rapidly and there is always that time factor.

And I don't know about you, but in our part of the world, an "emergency" psych eval means that the doc will be in to see the patient within the next 24 hours.

And another thing: wouldn't you think that the psych community itself would maybe get on the stick and notice this stuff and take some action too? As in having a list of known psych patients and their meds and dx's listed so that somewhere, someone who "knows" them can help them?

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.

I don't blame the cops. I DO blame their lack of training in dealing with the mentally ill. That can and should be changed. We have had several paranoid schitzophrenics killed in my city because the police acted on their deficient training and antagonized the person.

So no, I don't blame the individual cops. I DO BLAME the police agencies for not training the officers better. I think we have all seen blatant situations on the news where someone was clearly severely mentally ill, and the cops treated the person just like someone who was in their right mind and it made things worst.

They need better training. I bet they want it too.

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Yes, Lori, it is.

Almost makes you wish that every police department had a "psych SWAT team" consisting of a shrink and a couple of nurses for these crazy situations. But then, most of them evolve very rapidly and there is always that time factor.

And I don't know about you, but in our part of the world, an "emergency" psych eval means that the doc will be in to see the patient within the next 24 hours.

And another thing: wouldn't you think that the psych community itself would maybe get on the stick and notice this stuff and take some action too? As in having a list of known psych patients and their meds and dx's listed so that somewhere, someone who "knows" them can help them?

That would be wonderful... until someone claimed it was a violation of their rights and/or HIPAA and decided it's simpler to let them keep dying rather than risk giving them a 'crazy rep'...

what a world...

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did he have a cardiac hx? how is a police officer supposed to know this ?

I am sorry that this person died; but officers have a right to defend themselves.

Why are you assuming there is a cardiac hx and that the police were just defending themselves? He was already in custody. Not that that excludes the possibility that they were defending themselves, but you'd think a station full of cops could subdue someone before tasering. We do it all the time at work. Doesn't 4 deaths of psych patients by cops since August (that we KNOW of) seem a little excessive to you?

2 years ago I did a 2 night shift 'ride alongs' with local police. Even then, I saw a few things that seemed excessively forceful.

And my whole point here was that cops SHOULD have training on dealing with psych patients. It certainly involves a good chunk of their job.

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