While attention recently has focused on issues of militarization of police forces, efforts of law-enforcement officers to deal daily with mental-health and behavioral conditions also need attention.
Enforcement of criminal statues is a primary responsibility of law-enforcement officers, but these officers also frequently find themselves dealing with situations in which persons with mental-health conditions or who have other special needs pose safety concerns for those around them.
This is particularly true since deinstitutionalization has become the standard for mental-health systems, and those with mental-health issues are among residents of local neighborhoods and the homeless population.
Other persons with special needs such as those with autism may have communication difficulties that may create concern among those whom they encounter.
While calling law-enforcement officers may not be the best alternative in regard to restoring a sense of security and well-being in such situations, for some it may seen the only alternative.
[For more of this story go to http://www.dnj.com/story/opini...ing-skills/14533111/]
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