A report issued by Denver’s independent monitor on law enforcement activities over the past year identifies a concerning possible pattern — officers shooting people who appear mentally ill.
Of the 11 officer-involved shootings in Denver in 2013, six involved people who were arguably mentally ill.
Nicholas Mitchell, the independent monitor, said the shootings were legally justified but suggests officers need better training in how to “de-escalate” situations so lethal force can be avoided.
For example, one case involved a resident at a Veterans Affairs facility who was suffering from schizophrenia. He threatened to harm himself with scissors and moved toward an officer who had been demanding he drop them. The officer fired a less-than-lethal projectile at the patient that failed to stop him. The officer then shot him several times with a handgun. The patient survived.
Lt. Matt Murray of the Denver Police Department said 100 percent of patrol officers have been trained in crisis intervention tactics and that Denver has the second-most trained officers in the country.
Yet, most of those officers were trained years ago — a result of reforms imposed a decade ago when police shot and killed Paul Childs, a developmentally disabled teenager, inside the hallway of his home. The reforms also created the position of the independent monitor.
The department has agreed to provide eight-hour refresher courses for officers and to analyze the shootings for any trends.
Murray also acknowledged the department doesn’t have a mental health professional on staff but it does have an assessment and response team that can provide referrals to mental health services.
Denver Police Chief Robert White deserves credit for agreeing to analyze the incidents to see if any of them might have been handled differently.
