It's not just the police that has to worry, but the mental institutes that let these people out because either there is no room for them or because there is not enough funding to insure that those people are cured.
Just looking at an issue from one end doesn't mean that there is just one end, like a spectrum, there are several ends. People need to look at all of ends of the problem before taking a hardcore stand and placing the blame on one group of people. Keep in mind that the Police's main function is to enforce the law and not be psychiatrists or case workers... I'm not saying that every cop is good nor every cop is bad, just that they are faced with a new job description because the public safty is in danger and no matter what they do it's a catch 22. For example: they get called to a disturbance. The person could be mentally ill, they are able to resolve the situation through non-violent means and are in the process of taking the person into custody, however along the way, somehow the person overcomes the officer(s) and ends up killing them or seriously hurting them or ends up seriously hurting others or killing them. Now the public would say "Why didn't the police do something to prevent this situation or why didn't they do something to prevent the taking of a life? In the end there is no right or wrong answer, just that they did something to prevent something further from happening or they lose their lives. Maybe it doesn't matter that it was a officer's life was lost because that is the job that they chose or it's just a cop and who cares at least it wasn't me or the neighbor next door... but then again it probably doesn't matter that it's the police that are looking for that missing child, the sex offender that assaulted the person that you know or the police that are looking for the killer of 8 people. It's easy to suggest that the police department change from a lethal weapon to a non-leathal weapon, but at $500.00 a taser or $2.00 per bean bag shot and about $300.00 for a non-lethal shotgun and training that goes with that times the amount of officers that are on staff, the police department would go broke, then there would be no officers. With no officers, you would do the same for the sheriff's department as above mentioned, because it would be the sheriff department's job to fill in. Shooting for a leg or arm is not feasible either, because with adrenaline levels rising in a panic situation, you get tunnel vision and no matter how much training you have, the basic survival instinct will take over. This is why you have more than 4 shots per incident that a officer has to shoot. I understand the public's frustration, but unless you're on the job, you don't know the situation. Sure it's easy to say all this and there will be people that will say that they don't want to or because they don't have to and that's why it's the way that they say it is, but I feel that it's an easy way out and closed minded to think this way. I get frustrated with easy answers without looking into the whole situation, the police are frustrated, the public is frustrated, but you have to admit, it takes money to do this and it's money that the police department doesn't have to keep it's officers trained as much as the public would like. If law enforcement requirements start to include that they also get a degree in psychiatry or social services, then imagine how much less officers there will be, mostly because you get better pay as a psychiatrist. I'll end it here even though there is a lot more that I want to say and let the flames begin... Just let it be known, I do see the valid points of both sides, just that right now there needs to be some understanding of what goes on and the reasons that the police do what they do (even though there are incidents of individual officers that effect the department in a bad way). ---- Renee Jenson wrote: I don't know how the Minneapolis and St. Paul Police Chiefs can sleep at night. How can they send all of their men and women in uniform out each day so ill prepared to deal with the problems they will confront. How many more will have to die before they realize they need to get them some training on how to deal more effectively with the mentally ill in crisis? I think both of these Police Chiefs are irresponsible and shouldn't be holding the jobs that they do. They certainly don't have the welfare of their officers or the public as their top priority. Evidently it is the bottom line that means the most to them. I'm wondering, how many officers are expendable each year? When will it become a higher priority to look at training for officers and how they deal with the mentally ill? So far Melissa Schmidt died this year. Is there a cutoff point where death of officers from the mentally ill finally get the Police Chief's and Mayor's attention and they do something constructive? There doesn't seem to be a cutoff point for wackos. They're expendable. Sky's the limit. No one will do anything constructive. Lot of talk and bluster. Sometimes the only one that cares is the wacko themself. Good riddance? Renee Jenson WI wacko [EMAIL PROTECTED] Russell Sasaoka Coon Rapids (Formerly of Loring Park) Working in Minneapolis Get your free Web-based E-mail at http://www.startribune.com/stribmail
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