Mentally Ill Have Disproportionately High Number Of Fatal Encounters With Police
People with severe untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed in a police encounter.
Star Tribune:
Fatal Intervention
At least 45 percent of the people who have died in forceful encounters with law enforcement in Minnesota since 2000 had a history of mental illness or were in the throes of a mental health crisis, according to a Star Tribune analysis of death certificate data, court and law enforcement records and interviews with family members...In a 2015 spike, 9 of the 13 people who died statewide had mental health problems. The toll is grim proof that law enforcement agencies across Minnesota are working the jagged edge of a splintered mental health care system, where the most available tool for families facing a psychological emergency remains 911 and a squad car. (Bjorhus 6/5)
Pioneer Press:
As Mental Health Calls Pile Up, St. Paul Police Seek A Defter Response
As St. Paul police look for better ways to handle the mentally ill, they rely more and more on Ramsey County mental health professionals. City police recently applied for a $250,000 U.S. Department of Justice grant to create a Mental Health Response Team pairing officers with crisis workers. (Gottfried, 6/3)