Some readers may wrongly assume that a commie like me doesn’t know much about the more violent or dangerous elements of modern life. A wing of our clan have been lifelong volunteer EMT/firefighters and actually run the show in their part of CT. And my mom is forever beloved among FD and PD in the small town where I grew up for having built them during her tenure as First Selectman their long-overdue emergency response facility.
I’ve been around a lot of emergency responders. So I can understand, given the situation Pawtucket Police officers found themselves Tuesday morning – no backup, away from the cruiser, isolated in a top floor apartment with a HUGE guy who’s freaking out in that highly emotional, suicide-by-cop kind of way, won’t come quietly, pepper spray didn’t work and now he’s going nuts (if reports are accurate) – that police thought their lives were in danger and felt the need to fire their weapons.
Again, given an accurate description above, the as-yet-unnamed officers’ use of force against Jason Swift will be found to be justified.
But it raises many questions:
Why pursue what looks like a big problem without more help?
What is the protocol for situations that are mental-health driven?
Why do police alone respond?
I know the answer to the first question: gun upstairs.
Domestic disturbance is the nightmare scenario because it’s completely unpredictable. It could be nothing; there could already be dead bodies. The one constant is that emotions are off the charts, and that means erractic, crazy s***.
It’s first thing in the morning. Here’s a big guy with a sword, so you already know he’s into weapons. He’s uncooperative; in fact, he’s having a breakdown. Now he’s heading back to his base of operations.
Him with the high ground and a gun. Dense, residential neighborhood. Not good.
Was there a gun? Doesn’t matter. There was plenty enough chance of it for the officers to decide to pursue him. If Swift had stripped by the time police got to the apartment, it means they waited outside or pursued very slowly. Were they waiting for back up? Were they weighing their options and working out a plan?
Whatever the answers are, the officers entered the apartment and, at some point, tried to take Swift by force. There was a struggle. Shots were fired.
This is a tragedy in every way. For the victim and his family, a brutal end to what may have been a struggle. For the police involved, a worst-case scenario that will scar them forever. For our community, another story that says we’re dysfunctional.
The truth is that we ask police to deal with problems that are not essentially law enforcement issues, but mental health issues that become violent. By the time domestic mental health issues get to the violence stage, it means all the other mechanisms we have to regulate our society – formal ones like doctors and schools, and informal ones like families and social networks – have failed. Failed to reach the person who needs help. Failed to connect with the person who most needs a connection. Failed to see the problem as it unfolded.
Or maybe people saw the problem. They just didn’t do anything about it.
So when people with these kinds of problems become violent, their problem devolves to the police. And people get shot.
Take a Breath
For the third time, there’s a lot we don’t know. We’re all just reacting to reports.
There’s a lot of talk on the Projo blog about non-lethal technology, and a lot of support for Jay.
I still think we’re all best served if we could develop response strategies to mental-health driven crises that give police better options. Like I said at the open, I know cops, so I know they hate the idea of having a bunch of social workers around. More people to worry about getting shot. And, of course, how do you pay for it?
But I think this approach could yield fewer violent apprehensions, fewer incidents involving gunfire, less high-cost, lo-impact activity like this.
Having alternative response mechanisms isn’t wasteful. This is wasteful.
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