OREM, UT— I have been highly critical of law enforcement officers in some of my articles. I also believe in giving credit and kudos when and where due. I am happy to pass along a story involving the Orem Department of Public Safety and their training in regards to dealing with the mentally ill. Orem DPS uses crisis intervention techniques (CIT), which emphasize verbal de-escalation when dealing with a mentally ill person who may have a gun while threatening to harm themselves or others.
CIT cannot be used in every situation, but when it can be used, it is effective. On April 22, 2014, Orem DPS was called to a home where a mentally ill man was “freaking out” with a gun in hand. The suspect had even pointed the rifle at the 911 caller. According to Lt. Craig Martinez, “He was waving the gun, screaming and yelling out the window. Our officers were able to talk him down and got him to come out of the house with no weapon.” Martinez went on to say, “It’s absolutely imperative our officers, especially our patrol officers, are trained on this.” According to Lt. Martinez, over 90 percent of the officers in Orem DPS are trained in CIT.
It pleases me that police departments across this country are starting to train their officers in techniques other than shoot first, ask questions later. This does not mean that the officers are never justified in shooting a suspect — that would be an absurd statement. However, in instances where verbal de-escalation is possible, it should be used, just like the way that Orem City used it effectively. Because they chose the verbal route, the suspect was able to be given the help that he so desperately needs.
A critical element in situations like this is prevention. Understanding that a family member or friend suffers from mental illness is critical and should be relayed to the police before they arrive on-scene. The more the police know, the better they can assess a situation and make good and proper tactical choices.
Lt. Martinez stated, “A lot of times, these people don’t think they are doing anything wrong and they are trying to protect themselves from whatever they are going through.”
Kudos to the Orem DPS and their officers who used discretion and sound judgment in dealing with this suspect.
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