I am most disturbed by an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch from 1/22/06 describing the shooting and killing of a schizophrenic man by a police officer. Despite the man's obvious mental illness, the police officer is not being charged with any crime. I wonder how often this happens in Missouri, and I plan to research it. Why aren't our police officers trained to handle those with mental illness?
posted by Leslie @ 10:53 AM
I've had a varied background in journalism, business, religious studies, hospital chaplaincy and now in social work and psychotherapy. Chronic illness has informed the way I live, and I like to look at life as a great adventure, where one can pursue passions and succeed. For me, the key to life is to live it a day at a time. My education includes a Bachelor of Journalism for the University of Missouri/Columbia, a Master of Arts in Religious Studies from Washington University in St. Louis, and soon a Master of Social Work from, again, Washington University.
9 Comments:
Leslie,I share your concerns, and I hope your website will become a center for a spirited discussion about this important issue.
Leslie, you bring up many good points in your blog. Yes, there needs to be better training of the police to help prevent incidents like the two you have addressed. But moreso, I believe there must be better oversight of their actions. When police officers use unnecessary force in St. Louis they are reviewed and held accountable by other police officers. This does not seem very fair to me. We need a citizins review panel that can investigate police misconduct and determine the consequences of their actions. Just my opinion. Undoubtedly though there needs to be training for officers so that they are better able to identify signs of mental illness and address these individuals in a way that respects their special needs and challenges.
Leslie, I believe it is tragic when an undeserving individual is shot and killed. However, just out of curiousity, how was the victim's mental illness "obvious," as you say? I have not read the article yet, but I offer the point that what is "obvious" to a trained MSW student might not be as "obvious" to a police officer, who is probably not educated in mental health.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO) January 22, 2006
Section: Metro Edition: Third Edition
Page C5 Word count: 701
ID#: 1000474148
The Ste. Genevieve police officer who fatally shot an unarmed, mentally ill man in his home will not be prosecuted for the Nov. 3 shooting, a spokesman for Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon said Saturday. Ste. Genevieve Police Chief Dale Newman said he would not discuss details of the shooting until his office had been officially informed that Officer Michael J. Coon, 33, had been cleared of wrongdoing in the shooting of Dennis P. Heberlie III, 47.
http://www.stlimc.org/newswire/
display/21/index.php
Leslie and others, this is a link to an extremely small bit of information on a board bill that was proposed in the past and never passed in the city of st. louis. We (including myself) worked extremely hard to pass the bill for a fair and neutral civilian review board for police crime and repression, but unfortunately with only support from African American Alderpeople we never accomplished our goal. While this may not be completely relevent to mental health policy, in the wake of the incidences you have "blogged" about, I see that it is relevent again. Do not get me wrong, I respect, admire, and appreciate the service that the police provide throughout this country and in my hometown of St. Louis. However, I find it horrific that accountability is often determined by fellow officers when the police do step over the line. Just some personal thoughts that again are only my opinion. Just remember, police are not above the law, and often we work with the same people who can be vulnerable to excessive situations, including police force. Just some personal thoughts. If anyone is ever interested in the subject, I can offer further information. But, as social workers I feel it is imperative to realize that the criminal justice system has historically and currently focused (or been forced to work with or deal with {how ever you see it}) with populations that are underrepresented, such as minorities, including those who have mental illness or substance abuse issues. What training do we require for this?
http://dennisheberlie.bravehost.com/
Leslie,
In April, a petition with 2000 signatures were sent to Nixon asking for him to reconsider.
He has NEVER replied.
http://www.DennisHeberlie.com/
Park Hills Daily Journal, MO - Feb 4, 2006
Protesters angry about Nixon decision More than 40 protesters descended on the Ste. Genevieve County Courthouse Jan. 28 to express their displeasure with a decision made by Attorney General Jay Nixon. Nixon recently announced he was not going to bring charges against a City of Ste. Genevieve police officer for shooting and killing a mentally disturbed man.
http://www.DennisHeberlie.com/
http://www.myspace.com/heberlie
http://wakeup.to/WrongfulDeathGate
What was the crime that Dennis committed that would justify the use of deadly force? None. Justice for Dennis!
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