A fatal shooting last year by police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, of a homeless man with a history of schizophrenia triggered large demonstrations. A month later, Milwaukee police shot a mentally ill man 14 times. In Dallas, a person with mental health problems that included bipolar disorder was killed by officers responding to a disturbance call, while another was seriously wounded in a separate shooting.
As police face increased scrutiny for violent encounters around the U.S., many of which involve people with mental illnesses, law enforcement and advocacy groups are pointing to how the nation treats the mentally ill. They note a revolving door of emergency room visits and incarceration that they say is ineffective and costly.
Police crisis intervention efforts and diversion courts are helpful in stemming the violence, but those on the front lines say states need innovative programs and more must be done to get people early and provide preventative care to curtail explosive moments of crisis.
[For more of this story, written by David Warren, go to http://www.star-telegram.com/n...article15404456.html]
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