MedWorm Tags: enforcement,

DWI Convictions Due to Faulty Breathalyzer Calibration

Cato-at-liberty — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 18:21:24 +0100

By David RittgersFrom the Washington Post: Nearly 400 people were convicted of driving while intoxicated in the District since fall 2008 based on inaccurate results from breath test machines, and half of them went to jail, city officials said Wednesday. D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles said the machines were improperly adjusted by city police. The jailed defendants generally served at least five days, he said… The District’s badly calibrated equipment would show a driver’s blood-alcohol content to be about 20 percent higher than it actually was, Nickles said. All 10 of the breath test machines used by District police were wrong, he said. The problem occurred when the officer in charge of maintaining the machines improperly set the baseline alcohol concentration levels, Nic...

Putting The “Cool” Back Into Buckling Up

Better Health — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 20:00:00 +0100

I was having fun watching my niece play with dozens of pool inner tubes when another relative shows up. Never one to surprise me, he shows me a fashion statement I’d never seen before. How do you get your kids to wear their seatbelts? The key here is repetition. Just like a medical school education, repetition is what makes us experts. Doing the same thing over and over again makes us great at what we do. To get your kids to wear their seatbelt every time, you must make it a part of their daily existence. How do you do that? You buy them a “seatbelt” belts from Honda. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at The Happy Hospitalist* (Source: Better Health)

Immigration Law — Up Close

Cato-at-liberty — Fri, 28 May 2010 18:08:16 +0100

By Tim LynchKirk Adams, speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, has an article in today’s Washington Post on the controversial Arizona immigration law. Here’s an excerpt: Under the law, officers can only attempt to determine a person’s immigration status during “lawful contact,” which is defined as a lawful stop, detention or arrest. Any “reasonable suspicion” can be derived only through the investigation of another violation or crime. Those who are concerned that law enforcement can simply walk up to a person and say, “Can I see your papers?” should keep this in mind. The police are going to ask questions and request to see papers in a variety of circumstances — whether they have reasonable suspicion or not. From a ...

Police Accountability in Maryland

Cato-at-liberty — Mon, 24 May 2010 16:20:24 +0100

By David RittgersSeveral people videotaped the arrest of a belligerent woman at the Preakness Stakes and posted it online. The woman assaulted another patron of the race and two officers during her well-deserved arrest. The criminalization of citizens’ recordings of the arrest, which culminates in the woman lying face down and bleeding, is a different matter. Toward the end of the video, posted on YouTube (warning: violence and language), a police officer approaches the person filming the arrest and says, “Do me a favor and turn that off. It’s illegal to videotape anybody’s voice or anything else, against the law in the state of Maryland.” Unfortunately, the officer was right. The Maryland wiretapping law makes it illegal to record a conversation without the conse...

Collecting Dots and Connecting Dots

Cato-at-liberty — Wed, 19 May 2010 18:19:58 +0100

By Julian SanchezAs Jeff Stein notes over at the Washington Post, the declassified summary of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report on the Christmas underpants bomber ought to sound awfully familiar to anyone who thumbed through the 9/11 Commission’s massive analysis of intelligence failures. Of the 14 points of failure identified by the Senate, one pertains to a failure of surveillance acquisition: the understandably vague claim that NSA “did not pursue potential collection opportunities,” which it’s impossible to really evaluate without more information. (Marc Ambinder tries to fill in some of the gaps at The Atlantic.) The other 13 echo that old refrain: Lots of data points, nobody managing to connect them. Problems included myopic analysis—folks l...

The Wall Street Journal’s Surveillance Fantasies

Cato-at-liberty — Thu, 13 May 2010 16:55:25 +0100

By Julian SanchezThere are too few periodical venues for good short fiction these days, so I’d normally be enthusiastic about the Wall Street Journal’s decision to print works of fantasy. Unfortunately, they’ve opted to do so on their editorial page—starting with a long farrago of hypotheticals concerning the putative role of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in hindering the detection and apprehension of failed Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad. In fairness to the editors, they acknowledge near the end of the piece that much of it is unvarnished speculation, but their flights of creative fancy extend to many claims presented as fact. Let’s begin with the acknowledged fiction. The Journal editors wonder whether Shahzad might have been under surveillance...

Cameras, Crime, and Terrorism

Cato-at-liberty — Thu, 06 May 2010 19:43:36 +0100

By David RittgersThe attempted bombing in Times Square brought terrorism and the capabilities of surveillance cameras to the top of the headlines this week. As I pointed out in my Politico piece, cameras have not proven an effective deterrent to terrorist attacks. Cameras are generally useful in piecing together the plot after the attack (not so much in this case, since police were looking for a middle-aged white man and not a young Pakistani male) and helped in this capacity in the Madrid, London, and Moscow commuter system bombings. I discuss the usefulness of cameras in this podcast: Whether cameras are helpful enough to justify massive spending to install more of them in New York is another matter. NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly seems to think so, even though it’s already been the site...

Felony Charges for Recording a Plainclothes Officer

Cato-at-liberty — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:23:42 +0100

By David RittgersYesterday I wrote about the University of Maryland student beaten by police and falsely charged with assault during a post-game celebration. I concluded with a warning that a law barring citizens from taking photos or videos of law enforcement officers (such as those in force in Great Britain) would have prevented the false charges and beating from coming to light. I did not know that Maryland was already heading that direction. Video: // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ DayPortPlayer.newPlayer({articleID:"22384",accSite:"WMAR",accPos:"CCTVI.NEWS.LOCAL",categoryID:"14",rootCategory:"",domain:"wmar.web.entriq.net",playerInstanceID:"24FAD9E0-DC70-2532-414F-7E6F051C4C2F",videoAdConDefID:"2",videoAdObjectID:"4",bannerAdObjectID:"5"}); // ]]> Anthony Graber was riding his motorcycle...

Watch It Here: 10 Rules for Dealing with Police

Cato-at-liberty — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 20:56:38 +0100

By Chris Moody10 Rules for Dealing with Police, the new film from Flex Your Rights, premiered at Cato earlier this week. If you’re interested in knowing more about how to defend your rights during encounters with law enforcement, this is a must-see. You can watch the whole thing below, which includes discussion and commentary after the film. Order the DVD at FlexYourRights.com. Plus, don’t miss the exclusive interview with the star of the film, Baltimore trial attorney Billy Murphy (from HBO’s The Wire). (Source: Cato-at-liberty)

Big Teacher Is Watching

Cato-at-liberty — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:45:47 +0100

By Julian SanchezResearching government invasions of privacy all day, I come across my fair share of incredibly creepy stories, but this one may just take the cake. A lawsuit alleges that the Lower Merion School District in suburban Pennsylvania used laptops issued to each student to spy on the kids at home by remotely and surreptitiously activating the webcam built into the bezel of each one. The horrified parents of one student apparently learned about this capability when their son was called in to the assistant principal’s office and accused of “inappropriate behavior while at home.” The evidence? A still photograph taken by the laptop camera in the student’s home. I’ll admit, at first I was somewhat skeptical—if only because this kind of spying is in ...

Three Keys to Surveillance Success: Location, Location, Location

Cato-at-liberty — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:14:25 +0100

The invaluable Chris Soghoian has posted some illuminating—and sobering—information on the scope of surveillance being carried out with the assistance of telecommunications providers. The entire panel discussion from this year’s ISS World surveillance conference is well worth listening to in full, but surely the most striking item is a direct quotation from Sprint’s head of electronic surveillance: [M]y major concern is the volume of requests. We have a lot of things that are automated but that’s just scratching the surface. One of the things, like with our GPS tool. We turned it on the web interface for law enforcement about one year ago last month, and we just passed 8 million requests. So there is no way on earth my team could have handled 8 million requests from...

“I E-Verify”: Do Businesses Agree With Your Values?

Cato-at-liberty — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:53:34 +0100

My March 2008 paper, Franz Kafka’s Solution to Illegal Immigration, detailed the problems with electronic employment verification systems. The paper concludes that successful “internal enforcement” of immigration law requires a national ID—and ultimately a cradle-to-grave biometric tracking system. The Department of Homeland Security has started a program called the “I E-Verify” campaign for businesses that use the federal background check system on its employees. If you see businesses with “I E-Verify” decorations or insignia, they at least indirectly support a national ID system in the United States. This can help you decide whether or not you want to spend your dollars with them. (Source: Cato-at-liberty)

HIPAA Enforcement Meets HITECH: HIPAA Administrative Simplification: Enforcement Rule

Health Care Law Blog — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:08:20 +0100

On October 30, 2009, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued the HIPAA Administrative Simplification: Enforcement Interim Final Rule, 45 CFR Part 160 (74 Federal Register 56123, October 30, 2009).This new rule was developed and adopted by HHS to conform the enforcement regulations under HIPAA to the revisions made to HIPAA under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), which was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).The rule amends the HIPAA enforcement regulations to include the imposition of tiered ranges for civil money penalty amounts based upon an increasing culpability associated with the violation. A full chart of the violation categories and related amounts can be found in the rule...

Fact-checking Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey

Cato-at-liberty — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:32:07 +0100

This report from USA Today tells the story of several patients who were harassed and threatened by federal agents. Excerpt: ”In August 2002, federal agents seized six plants from [Diane] Monson’s home and destroyed them.” This report from the San Francisco Chronicle tells the story of Bryan Epis and Ed Rosenthal. Both men, in separate incidents, were raided, arrested, and prosecuted by federal officials. The feds called them “drug dealers.” When the cases came to trial, both men were eager to inform their juries about the actual circumstances surrounding their cases–but they were not allowed to convey those circumstances to jurors. Federal prosecutors insisted that information concerning the medical aspect of marijuana was “irrele...

Flex Your Rights

Cato-at-liberty — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:29:14 +0100

Friends of the Cato Institute who closely follow the news about search and seizure and other civil liberties issues will probably know that there are simple, practical steps one can take to exercise our constitutionally guaranteed liberties, even when confronted by the police. For everyone else, there’s Flex Your Rights. Founded by former Cato intern Steven Silverman, Flex Your Rights aims to teach ordinary citizens how to make good use of their civil liberties: The vast majority of people are mystified by the basic rules of search and seizure and due process of law. Consequentially, they’re likely to be tricked or intimidated by police into waiving their constitutional rights, resulting in a greater likelihood of regrettable outcomes. The sum of these outcomes flow into all ...

Drivers’ Licenses a De Facto Law Enforcement Database

Cato-at-liberty — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:15:27 +0100

. . . notes the ACLU’s Chris Calabrese in this story about the use of license photos to search for criminal suspects. (Source: Cato-at-liberty)

Cheye Calvo Reflects on SWAT Shooting

Cato-at-liberty — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:16:44 +0100

Cheye Calvo is the DC-area small-town mayor who had his two pet dogs shot and killed by a botched drug raid about a year ago. In an article to be published in this Sunday’s Washington Post, Calvo reflects upon his experience — not just the raid itself, but on the actions of the police department afterward. Excerpt: I remain captured by the broader implications of the incident. Namely, that my initial take was wrong: It was no accident but rather business as usual that brought the police to — and through — our front door. In the words of Prince George’s County Sheriff Michael Jackson, whose deputies carried out the assault, “the guys did what they were supposed to do” — acknowledging, almost as an afterthought, that terrorizing innocent ci...

A Chance to Fix the PATRIOT Act?

Cato-at-liberty — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:23:43 +0100

As Tim Lynch noted earlier this week, Barack Obama’s justice department has come out in favor of renewing three controversial PATRIOT Act provisions—on face another in a train of disappointments for anyone who’d hoped some of those broad executive branch surveillance powers might depart with the Bush administration. But there is a potential silver lining: In the letter to Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) making the case for renewal, the Justice Department also declares its openness to “modifications” of those provisions designed to provide checks and balances, provided they don’t undermine investigations. While the popular press has always framed the fight as being “supporters” and “opponents” of the PATRIOT Act, the problem with many of the...

Return of the Trade Enforcement Canard

Cato-at-liberty — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:21:46 +0100

In defending its tire tariff decision, the White House has glommed on to the “logic” that free trade first requires enforcement of trade agreements. Scott Lincicome exposes the absurdity of that defense here. But with that fallacy serving to undergird what sounds like a pre-justification for more trade cases and more trade restrictions, let me remind the reader that we already have 299 active antidumping and countervailing duty measures in the United States, resticting or prohibiting imports from 43 different countries. We have all sorts of restrictions on imported textiles, clothing, footwear, food products, agricultural commodities, lumber, steel, pickup trucks, tobacco, and many, many more products, including tires. But despite all of this enforcement–of rule...

Anti-Sex School for Johns?

Cato-at-liberty — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:51:11 +0100

In a novel approach to punishing men who attempt to hire prostitutes, Nashville and other cities are sending first-time offenders to a one-day class where they learn from former prostitutes, health experts, psychologists and law enforcement officers about “the risks of hiring a prostitute.” This is a waste of time. Prostitution is “the oldest profession” for a reason: sex is a biological imperative. A day of anti-sex school will have no effect on the demand for prostitution. The better approach is to legalize. Under legalization, the vast majority of men would patronize legal establishments. This would also allow quality control, since competition would encourage prostitution services to certify their employees as free from STDs and above the age of consent. Legaliz...

The Zero Percent Doctrine

Cato-at-liberty — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:03:09 +0100

I was never a fan of Dick Cheney’s one percent doctrine. According to Ron Suskind, after 9/11 Cheney explained to law enforcement and intelligence officials that they should treat even the one percent chance of a terrorist attack as a mathematical certainty. The particular case was of a Pakistani nuclear scientist helping al-Qaeda to acquire a nuclear bomb, but the standard became a shorthand for U.S. counterterror efforts generally. No scale of effort would be too great. Better to chase down 100 leads, 99 of which turn out to be bogus, because finding just that one nugget would have been worth the level of effort. Now we have evidence that the federal government is chasing down far more than 99 blind alleys for just one lead. From today’s front-page story in the New York...

Hate Crimes Bill Becomes an Amendment

Cato-at-liberty — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:43:24 +0100

Unsure about prospects on passing the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act as a stand-alone bill, proponents intend to attach it as an amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization bill. As I have said previously, this bill is an affront to federalism and counterproductive hater-aid. Federal Criminal Law Power Grab This legislation awards grants to jurisdictions for the purpose of combating hate crimes. It also creates a substantive federal crime of violent acts motivated by the “actual or perceived religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of any person.” This is a federalization of a huge number of intrastate crimes. It is hard to imagine a rape case where the sex of the victim is not an issue. The same goes for r...

Courts Check D.C. Government — Again.

Cato-at-liberty — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:22:35 +0100

Last year, the Supreme Court declared the D.C.’s gun control law unconstitutional (pdf). Now a federal appellate court has unanimously declared that D.C. police’s aggressive ”Neighborhood Safety Zone” (NSZ) checkpoint policy is unconstitutional (pdf). Under the policy, any vehicle entering an area that has been declared a “Neighborhood Safety Zone” by the city’s police chief can be “stopped for the purpose of determining whether the driver has a legitimate reason for entering the NSZ.” Here’s an excerpt from the appelate court decision: We further conclude that appellants have sufficiently demonstrated irreparable injury, particularly in light of their strong likelihood of success on the merits. … The harm to the ri...

Should Judges ‘Have the Back’ of Police Officers?

Cato-at-liberty — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:38:26 +0100

Vice-president Joe Biden says we should rally behind the Supreme Court nomination of Sotomayor because she will “have the back” of the police. Biden is a lawyer, a senator, and former chairman of the Senate’s Judiciary Committee, so he should know better than to pull a political stunt like that to curry favor with law enforcement groups. The Constitution places limits on the power of the police to search, detain, wiretap, imprison, and interrogate. The separation of powers principle means that judges must maintain their impartiality and “check” the police whenever they overstep their authority. To abdicate that responsibility and to “go along with the police” is to do away with our system of checks and balances. As it happens, The New Yo...

It Is a Checkpoint, After All

Cato-at-liberty — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:25:56 +0100

The Philadelphia Inquirer asks why the TSA didn’t catch Bonnie Sweeten absconding to Orlando at the airport after faking her own and her daughter’s abduction. The TSA and FBI are right: it’s not airport security’s job to look for people like Bonnie Sweeten. But they quickly agree to make it part of their mission when newspapers and Members of Congress start to say they should. This is how a nominal airline security program transmogrifies into a general law enforcement checkpoint, and the noose tightens on your right to travel. (Source: Cato-at-liberty)

DoJ Fails to Report Electronic Surveillance Activities

Cato-at-liberty — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:37:48 +0100

Unlike with wiretaps, law enforcement agents are not required by federal statutes to obtain search warrants before employing pen registers or trap and trace devices. These devices record non-content information regarding telephone calls and Internet communications. (Of course, “non-content information” has quite a bit of content - who is talking to whom, how often, and for how long.) The Electronic Privacy Information Center points out in a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) that the Department of Justice has consistently failed to report on the use of pen registers and trap and trace devices as required by law: The Electronic Communications Privacy Act requires the Attorney General to “annually report to Congress on the number of pen regis...

A War on the Unexpected

29 Marbles — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 05:16:59 +0100

This article came back to my mind as I read Kristina’s post Arrested: The Charge? Bad Behavior, in which she describes the arrest of a 13 year old autistic boy and a 19 year old man with fetal alcohol syndrome. This is, of course, not the first such incident to have happened, only the most recent that I’ve become aware of. There is a legitimate issue concerning what consideration, if any, should be given to a person’s autism diagnosis with respect to criminal activity. (See, for example, the case of Gary McKinnon.) But all too often people with autism are approached, and often apprehended, by law enforcement personnel simply because they are “acting weird” and making bystanders “uncomfortable”. In his article, Schneier has two recommendations...

J&J Pays $511K Fine For Pfizer Blunder

Pharmalot — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 21:26:07 +0100

The healthcare giant coughed up the money in order to settle federal allegations that a plant in Lititz, Pennsvylvania, which it acquired in 2006 as part of its purchase of Pfizer’s consumer health care business, violated paperwork regulations for controlled substances, according to the US Attorney in Philadelphia (read the statement). The manufacturing plant was accused of importing controlled substances - in this case, Benadryl-D - from Canada without filing a notification with the US Drug Enforcement Agency between 2001 and 2005. The med contains pseudophedrine, which is a controlled substance pseudophedrine. The Controlled Substances Act requires anyone who imports, distributes and dispenses controlled substances to report to the DEA any importation. The reports allow the agency...

Gatekeepers Inside Out - Abstract

The Situationist — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 15:04:17 +0100

Situationist contributor Sung Hui Kim’s article, “Gatekeepers Inside Out,” was published in the latest issue of Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics, Vol. 21, p. 411, 2008. The article is available to download for free on SSRN. Here is the abstract. * * * Gatekeepers Inside Out challenges the conventional wisdom that in-house counsel are simply “too captured” by their senior managers in their corporations to serve as effective gatekeepers of our securities markets. The author revises classical gatekeeping theory introduced by Prof. Reinier Kraakman in his seminal article (Gatekeepers: Anatomy of a Third Party Enforcement Strategy, 2 J.L. Econ. & Org. 53 (1986)). In that article, Kraakman clarified that a gatekeeping strategy requires gatekeepers “who c...

Meth to the West, Cocaine to the East, Pot in the Middle

Addiction Inbox — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:04:00 +0100

The geography of drug use.To paraphrase an old tune by Gerry Rafferty, we got meth to the left of us, cocaine to the right, and here we are, stuck in the middle with pot.The National Drug Threat Survey of 2007, a product of the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) at the Department of Justice, illustrates the stark nature of regional variation when it comes to illegal drugs of choice in the United States. The map at the right represents the responses of state and local law enforcement agencies to the question: "What drug poses the greatest threat to your area?" Blue indicates cocaine, red indicates methamphetamine, and green stands for marijuana. (Click map for larger image.)According to the Oregonian in Portland, reporting on similar numbers from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Ment...

Gatekeepers Inside Out - Abstract

The Situationist — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 21:28:23 +0100

Situationist contributor Sung Hui Kim recently posted her forthcoming article, “Gatekeepers Inside Out” (forthcoming in the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics), on SSRN. Here’s the abstract. * * * Gatekeepers Inside Out challenges the conventional wisdom that in-house counsel are simply “too captured” by their senior managers in their corporations to serve as effective gatekeepers of our securities markets. The author revises classical gatekeeping theory introduced by Prof. Reinier Kraakman in his seminal article (Gatekeepers: Anatomy of a Third Party Enforcement Strategy, 2 J.L. Econ. & Org. 53 (1986)). In that article, Kraakman clarified that a gatekeeping strategy requires gatekeepers “who can and will prevent misconduct reliably, regardless o...

Feds to cast a wider DNA dragnet

Women's Bioethics Blog — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:10:28 +0100

Following up on Sue's post last week about surreptitious sampling of DNA by law enforcement officials comes this disturbing report about Federal plans to widen their DNA database, CODIS, to include... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] (Source: Women's Bioethics Blog)

The implications of "surreptitious sampling" of DNA

Women's Bioethics Blog — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:08:00 +0100

A recent NYT piece by Amy Harmon highlights a law-enforcement practice called "surreptitious sampling," which refers to the collection of an individual's DNA without their permission or knowledge.... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] (Source: Women's Bioethics Blog)

Important information about nandrolone in the us

Nelson Vergel's HIV Blog — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 21:52:00 +0100

QUESTION FROM SOMEONE IN MY POZHEALTH AT YAHOOGROUPS.COM LIST:"I interpret this that once the current supply of the components tomake nandrolone are depleted, there will be no more access tonandrolone here in the US. Am I right or just the number ofcompounding pharmacies may continue to dwindle due to DEA pressures?Thanks everyone,Tom A"MY ANSWER:Dear TomThe ingredients to make nandrolone are not depleted. The decision from the manufacturer (Watson) to stop making nandrolone decanoate (an effective injectable medicine to treat unintentional weight loss and to increase muscle mass) was based on economics and political pressure.Watson stopped making it because:1- It is a generic CHEAP drug2- They can sell expensive Oxandrin instead. Oxandrin is approved for unintentional weight loss but cost...

An ounce of prevention

Treatment Advocacy Center — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:08:00 +0100

Three weeks ago, Derek Johnson was shot to death by police in Flowood Mississippi.Johnson was suffering from severe mental illness and engaged in bizarre behavior. A neighbor observed Johnson naked and screaming that Armageddon was coming. When the police arrived, Johnson came at them wielding a boxcutter. Johnson was shot and killed.The brother of Derek Johnson claims the Flowood police overreacted and should have been more sensitive to his mental illness. A representative for the police claims that the responding officers felt their lives were in danger and made a reasonable choice to use deadly force. The courts will inevitably sort out this particular tragedy. In the meantime, the overall factual pattern and its tragic consequences are far too common. Every year, an alarming number of...

Suicide by cop

Treatment Advocacy Center — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 21:29:00 +0100

Barron Harvey Davis had bipolar disorder and had taken more than 20 pills before he started shooting at a police officer. Davis told family members over the phone that he wanted officers to kill him.After he was tasered and taken to jail Davis continually pounded his head against a brick wall and had to be restrained. Davis later died in his jail cell.A friend of Davis’ said his death could have been avoided if he was given proper care. “I told them you need to do something to help him,” Graham said, explaining she told officers at the scene he had taken too many medications and was overdosing. “We knew if they would have gotten him to a psychiatric care unit somewhere this probably would not have happened,” she said. “Who knows him better than we do?”There’s little q...

Autism and New Jersey law enforcement

29 Marbles — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 04:55:00 +0100

Over the weekend, Kristina Chew wrote about yet another tasing of an autistic teenager, and mentions a bill in New Jersey to promote autism training for first responders. While that bill makes its way through the New Jersey state legislature, first responders in Hillsborough, NJ are taking the initiative getting the training for themselves. From Cops learn about autism to help prevent tragedy:With more than 1,200 children and adults diagnosed with autism in the township -- and thousands more in neighboring communities -- Hillsborough police officers are reaching out to better serve those families during serious law-enforcement situations.Hillsborough police Chief Paul Kaminsky recently participated in a four-hour seminar, "Autism Shield Program for Autism Recognition and Response." Its goa...

A horrific ending

Treatment Advocacy Center — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:52:00 +0100

A few weeks ago a homeless man in Fairfax County, Virginia was shot and killed by police officers after he lunged at them with a knife. As the public railed against the officer for using lethal force, one blog comment added a bit of perspective.However, this incident just highlights how poorly we treat the mentally ill in this country. This homeless man was clearly not of a sound mind. If he were cognizant of reality, he would not have been jabbing anyone, much less a cop, with a knife, totally at random. This man (and literally thousands of more like him) should be in hospitals, receiving treatment. Yet, because over 70% of all state mental facilities were closed in the late 70’s to early 90’s, we have no place to house these broken people. Many end up in jail. Many more end up on th...

Rationality and emotions

29 Marbles — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 23:30:00 +0100

How much does rational thinking influence your opinion on something? How about emotional thinking? Since this is a blog (mostly) about autism, you may think that is leading up to something in the vaccine/autism debate, but in this case I'm talking about a technology intended to help law enforcement catch criminals.From the Wired.com article A New DNA Test Can ID a Suspect's Race, but Police Won't Touch It:Frudakis' test is called DNAWitness. It examines DNA from 176 locations along the genome. Particular sequences at these points are found primarily in people of African heritage, others mainly in people of Indo-European, Native American, or South Asian descent. No one sequence can perfectly identify a person's origin. But by looking at scores of markers, Frudakis says he can predict ancest...

Autism and law enforcement

29 Marbles — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:55:00 +0100

I've written about autism and law enforcement before, but in a time when it is becoming increasingly dangerous to be different it is worth mentioning again. The catalyst for this particular post is the NY Times article Helping Police Officers Understand Autism, which talks about the ongoing efforts of Dennis Debbaudt (who is an autism dad and, as it turns out, also provided the inspiration for my previous post on the topic).Some key points from the article:People with developmental disabilities, including autism, have up to seven times more contact with law enforcement officers than others, according to an article in the F.B.I. Law Enforcement Bulletin in April 2001.[W]hen Mr. Debbaudt asked whether any of the police officers, from departments throughout New Jersey, had received training o...

Pharmalot… Pharmalittle… Time For A Break

Pharmalot — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 18:11:18 +0100

Grey skies and chilly temperatures can mean only one thing - a cup of coffee. And so we shall venture out in search of something of hot and delicious. We hope you have a chance to do the same. And here are a few of the latest missives to help you digest…. Enzon Tries To Remake Itself (NJ.com) Idera Licenses Drug Technology To Merck KGaA (Yahoo/AP) DEA Eases Restrictions On Some Meds (Bloomberg News) Genzyme Osteoarthritis Drug Gets EU OK (Yahoo/AP) Glaxo Completes $1.65 Billion Acquisition Of Reliant (MarketWatch) Share / E-mail (Source: Pharmalot)

Unlucky 7

Treatment Advocacy Center — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 16:33:00 +0100

Justin Quintana claimed he was God. He called police officers to saying he should be treated like the President and wanted 24-hour protection. He threatened his mother, and police had been called to Quintana’s house six times in a little more than a year. His mother – Susan Kuchma- was a state police officer, but there was nothing she could do to get treatment for her son’s paranoid schizophrenia. He didn’t chose treatment and wasn’t deemed dangerous.One of Kuchma's family members said Friday that the officer loved her son and took great pains to document his behavior with the goal of getting him help. But her efforts were often frustrated."It's a lot of red tape," said Kuchma's niece and Quintana's cousin, Tenika Susana Sosa-Quintana, 28, of Mesquite. "...we all have civil liber...

Where was the mental health community?

Treatment Advocacy Center — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 19:55:00 +0100

Trinidad Ornelas was fatally shot by police officers in Orange County on Sunday after his mother called 911 because he was choking her.Neighbor Victoria Hernandez said…family members told her that Ornelas sometimes didn't take his medications [for schizophrenia] which led to outbursts. The mother had called the police in the past to calm her son down. Hernandez says police have been to the Ornelas house before, “They should have known.”An attorney for the family – Thomas Beck says, “The officers who responded Sunday were "just brand new to the circumstances.”The real question should not be whether the officers who responded to the 911 call on Sunday were the same ones who frequently responded to calls to calm Ornelas.No – the real question should be – where was the mental h...

Pharmalot… Pharmalittle… The Weekend Is Here

Pharmalot — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 01:16:58 +0100

And so we turn our attention to other matters, such as raking leaves and spending time with our short people. We may even read a book. And you? Whatever your passion, we hope you enjoy the time. Meanwhile, here are a few items to help you stay abreast, even as other activities beckon… Amgen’s Aranesp Data Disappoints (TheStreet.com) Fosamax Users Seek Class-Action Lawsuit Status (Yahoo/AP) King Pharma Options Up On Takeover Speculation (Yahoo/Reuters) DEA Move May Not Hurt Cardinal Health (Yahoo/AP) UK’s NHS Calls For Redirecting Cancer Med Expenditures (BBC) Share / E-mail (Source: Pharmalot)

Iowa’s cold-hearted system leads to hypothermia

Treatment Advocacy Center — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 14:37:00 +0100

Photo from Gazette.com: "Personal items and trash are strewn about the homeless camp under Iowa City's Benton Street bridge Thursday. Transient Sonny Anthony Iovino, 55, was found dead from hypothermia under the bridge Wednesday."The cause of death for Sonny Iovino is officially listed as “hypothermia.”But it is clear he was a victim of something equally as chilling – a system that bounced him around, seemingly unable (or perhaps unwilling) to help him.Iovino was a familiar face to Iowa City police, and was repeatedly picked up in the past 5 years on charges like disorderly conduct, public intoxication and simple assault. In fact, “In the first seven days of November, he'd had five encounters with police.”So fittingly, it seems from news stories that it was the police who tried t...

Tragic endings to a bad situation

Treatment Advocacy Center — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:31:00 +0100

Over the weekend we were reminded again of the role law enforcement is forced to play in dealing with severe mental illness. The failure of the mental health community to properly treat those with severe illnesses so often ends in tragedy across the country. In Florida –A sheriff’s deputy in Indian River County shot and killed Byruss Green, a man with a mental illness who had not been taking his medication. In Illinois –A jury determined that officers were not to blame in the March 2000 shooting of Joseph T. Zagar that had been called a suicide-by-cop. Officers had been to the home of Zager multiple times and had taken him in for mental health treatment. This time, Zager was threatening the officers with what they thought was a gun.In Kentucky –Brenda Joy Woosley, a woman with a me...

Survey your law enforcement officers

Treatment Advocacy Center — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 20:41:00 +0100

There is no question law enforcement officers are increasingly the ones responding to people with mental illnesses in crisis. Use this survey to learn the prevalence and extent of the problem from a law enforcement standpoint.In one study that used a version of this survey, it was revealed that 92 percent of officers reported encountering mentally ill individuals is crises in the month prior to the survey.Share the results with the Treatment Advocacy Center! If you’ve surveyed your officers we’d love to hear from you. Send us an email at info@treatmentadvocacycenter.org.The Treatment Advocacy Center (www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org) is a national nonprofit dedicated to eliminating barriers to the timely and effective treatment of severe mental illnesses. TAC promotes laws, policies, an...

Criminalizing mental illness

Treatment Advocacy Center — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 16:56:00 +0100

In Putnam County, Tennessee, a crisis stabilization unit (CSU) was opened on April 30. Since its opening county law enforcement officers have seen a drop in the amount of time deputies are spending transporting people with mental illnesses to facilities in other cities.Excellent; but deputies are still spending an inordinate amount of time driving people to mental health facilities. In fact Putnam County Sheriff, David Andrews has two deputies designated for mental health transports.So far this year, Putnam deputies have made 319 mental health transports, compared to a total of 478 last year.If one or two deputies transports a mental health patient to Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute in Chattanooga, those officers are off patrol in Putnam County between five and six hours, according t...

Reform is long overdue

Treatment Advocacy Center — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 19:48:00 +0100

Few issues have dominated a political landscape like mental health has in Virginia. With the tragedy at Virginia Tech, the death of two police officers in Fairfax County, and the recent murder of Susanne Thompson in Richmond, it is clear that reform is long overdue. Virginia Capitol Connections Magazine recognized the unprecedented role that mental health will play in the upcoming legislative session, and made it the subject of their fall issue. Contributors include Governor Kaine, Delegate Phillip Hamilton, and TAC’s own John Snook, who calls on the legislature to recognize the reality of severe mental illness and the need for assisted outpatient treatment.The Treatment Advocacy Center (www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org) is a national nonprofit dedicated to eliminating barriers to the tim...

Community members call for better treatment in Virginia

Treatment Advocacy Center — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 19:16:00 +0100

The following quotes are from news coverage of the death of Susanne Thompson, who was stabbed while walking her dog Saturday morning. Johnny Hughes, the man charged with her murder, has a history of mental illness.He's [Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder] concerned that state law doesn't always allow mandatory treatment of mentally ill people with criminal histories.“… this situation represents a much larger problem. The real question is how many others are similarly situated across the state and the region who need coordinated mental health resources in order to reduce any possibility of this situation recurring.” Hughes' younger sister, Chesterfield County resident Jackie Lewis, said the killing could have been avoided."We are so deeply sorry for this innocent loss," Lewis said on be...

Shouldering the burden of inadequate treatment

Treatment Advocacy Center — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 18:32:00 +0100

When we think about the added burden untreated mental illness causes for law enforcement, we often think of things like overcrowding in jails or the increased risk in responding to a call for someone who has been deemed an imminent danger.But untreated mental illness also burdens law enforcement in less apparent ways. Take the case of Mark L. Jackson – a man who allegedly made multiple bomb threats in the Chesapeake, Virginia area. Obviously, every threat of this type must be taken seriously, requiring significant law enforcement resources and manpower. But this isn’t the sort of cost that can be easily included in a budget request – it’s simply another hidden cost of Virginia’s failure to provide effective mental health care.The Treatment Advocacy Center (www.treatmentadvocacyce...

What assisted outpatient treatment can... and can't... do

Treatment Advocacy Center — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 20:18:00 +0100

Last Saturday, Lee Coleman evaded his family’s attempts to have him hospitalized and went on a rampage – stabbing two people with knives he stole from a Manhattan restaurant before being shot by an off-duty police officer who had just paid his check.It is the type of gripping tragedy that leads to unfortunate, big-lettered headlines in a city’s papers, such as PSYCHO STABBER from the New York Post, as well as editorial pleas with titles like Stop The Insanity On The Streets. And when the general community peers into the most often ignored world of severe mental illnesses, the possibility of reform emerges. On Monday, Governor Eliot Spitzer expressed his support for creating a panel tasked with investigating how to treat the most severely ill and thereby protect the public from those ...

CIT: It shouldn't be the only tool

Treatment Advocacy Center — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 19:40:00 +0100

Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) is an excellent tool for law enforcement officers who will inevitably encounter a person with a mental illness who is in crisis. The training helps officers to de-escalate situations that may otherwise turn deadly.CIT is a very important tool, but it shouldn’t be the only one.Law enforcement officers in Buchanan County, Missouri will be receiving CIT “in light of dwindling funding for mental health programs and increased demand for such programs”Police Sergeant Matt Rock, a CIT supervisor in Buchanan County said:“The response for CIT officers will range from a call of a mentally-ill person caught shoplifting to an emotionally-distressed subject threatening to jump off a bridge. The officers will facilitate emergency mental health assessments at th...

Killing yourself with a cop's gun

Treatment Advocacy Center — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 18:36:00 +0100

Weak treatment laws often require a person to be a danger to themselves or others before getting involuntary treatment. As we often lament on this blog, this keeps the mental health community from intervening because the person is not yet dangerous, and forces law enforcement to become involved when a person finally deteriorates to that condition.Occasionally, these encounters with law enforcement become “suicide by cop.”According to family members, that was the case on Monday when Guy Ray III held four women hostage in a Louisville, Kentucky bank. After releasing the hostages, Ray emerged from the bank waving what turned out to be an air rifle at officers. Ray died of multiple gunshot wounds.According to his sister Ray had been on and off medication for his mental illness that he had ...

A sad weekend in California

Treatment Advocacy Center — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 20:53:00 +0100

Families and police officers are two of the groups most at risk for being on the receiving end of violence by those with untreated mental illnessesIn Salinas, John Vierra, a 44-year-old man with schizophrenia fatally stabbed his mother, Maria James. Vierra had stopped taking his medication last spring.In San Diego, Alan Kosakoff is in critical condition after he was shot by two police officers. Kosakoff, who has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, attempted to run over the two officers when they tried to arrest him for driving 114 mph. Kasakoff had not been taking his psychiatric medication.Today, one California man faces time in prison; the other, if he survives, will also likely face the criminal justice system. Both men were not taking their prescribed medications for severe ...

Illegal Immigration Watch: Immigration Activists March in Los Angeles for Elvira Arellano

FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 01:02:58 +0100

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYzcAGAjQwU Several hundred demonstrators took to the streets of Los Angeles to protest the arrest and deportation of immigration activist Elvira Arellano, Saturday, Aug. 25, 2007. Flap wonders why these folks are protesting illegal activity? Elvira Arellano is a convicted felon (fraudulant use of social security numbers) who has no inherent right to be in the United States. The next Rosa Parks in the struggle for Civil Rights? HARDLY. Several hundred demonstrators march down Broadway in downtown Los Angeles to protest the arrest and deportation of immigration activist Elvira Arellano, Saturday, Aug. 25, 2007. Previous: Illegal Immigration Watch: Mexican Senate Sides With Elvira Arellano Illegal Immigration Watch: Elvira Arellano - “The United States Bro...

Illegal Immigration Watch: Mexican Senate Sides With Elvira Arellano

FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 02:09:28 +0100

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-kwF1eWwOA Elvira Arellano speaks to the Mexican Congress, August 22, 2007 President Bush, Build the Damn Wall. A Mexican Senate committee passed a measure Wednesday urging President Felipe Calderon to send a diplomatic note to the United States protesting the deportation of an illegal migrant who took refuge in a Chicago church for a year. The committee also approved a scholarship to help her 8-year-old U.S.-born son, Saul, who is an American citizen and stayed in the United States. Secure the border and enforce the immigration laws. Previous: Illegal Immigration Watch: Elvira Arellano - “The United States Broke the Law First” Illegal Immigration Watch: Elvira Arellano - The Toast of Tijuana Illegal Immigration Watch: Elvira Arellano - The Rosa Parks...

Illegal Immigration Watch: Elvira Arellano - The Toast of Tijuana

FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 13:13:34 +0100

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVU7680uE4E Elvira Arellano in Mexico Elvira Arellano deported to Mexico from the United States is becoming the Cause Celeb of illegal aliens. Since Arellano was arrested in Los Angeles and returned to Mexico she’s engaged in a whirlwind of public appearances where she’s been heralded as a hero for defying U.S. authorities by taking sanctuary in a church. In the United States, her yearlong battle made her a polarizing figure alternately viewed as an icon of immigrant rights or a selfish lawbreaker. But in Mexico, Arellano’s experience is portrayed as a story of principled resistance, of a woman who fought before becoming one of the thousands of illegal immigrants who file sadly back into this border metropolis every year. “You’v...

Illegal Immigration Watch: Why Elvira Arellano Had to Go

FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 01:11:01 +0100

Elvira Arellano, the Mexican citizen that sought refuge in a Chicago church and was finally deported by the United States, talks about what the future holds after she was reunited with her son, Saul, 8, at an apartment where she is staying in Tijuana, Mexico Monday Aug. 20, 2007. Why did Elvira Arellano have to go? It is called the RULE OF LAW. Flap doesn’t think the September 12 immigration protest or the Los Angeles protests this weekend will draw much sympathy from most Americans - because most are fed up with the Bush Administration’s failure to enforce the law and secure the Mexican border. Previous: Illegal Immigration Watch: Elvira Arellano Arrested And Deported to Mexico Illegal Immigration Watch: Crackdown Will Hurt California? Rudy Giuliani Watch: New Radio Ad Highli...

Illegal Immigration Watch: Elvira Arellano - The Rosa Parks of the Immigration Movement?

FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 01:11:01 +0100

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSGc3wxNIZE Elvira Arellano vowes to keep fighting from Mexico Is deported illegal alien Elvira Arellano the next Rosa Parks of the New Sanctuary Movement? For the past year, Elvira Arellano has promoted an overhaul of U.S. immigration laws from inside a Chicago church, where the illegal immigrant sought refuge to avoid being separated from her U.S.-born son. Now, after being deported Sunday by U.S. immigration officials, she is trying to stir sympathy from within her native Mexico. She huddled less than 24 hours later with about a dozen activists to plan her next steps in Tijuana, just across the border from San Diego and only about 100 miles from where she says she entered the United States illegally in 1997. Her plans included a talk-radio show appearance...

Illegal Immigration Watch: Elvira Arellano Arrested And Deported to Mexico

FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 01:12:39 +0100

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr6Uym-DZ2g Illegal alien activist Elvira Arellano has been arrested and deported back to Mexico. Elvira Arellano, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who has taken refuge in a Chicago church to avoid deportation for the last year, speaks to media at Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles church in Los Angeles Saturday, Aug. 18, 2007. Arellano, was arrested Sunday, Aug. 19, 2007, the church’s pastor said. Arellano was arrested in the afternoon outside Our Lady Queen of Angels church on L.A.’s historic Olvera Street where she had been speaking to reporters, said the Rev. Walter Coleman, pastor of Adalberto United Methodist Church in Chicago where she sought sanctuary About damn time. Arellano’s presence in the United States is an affront to the rule of...

Support for assisted outpatient treatment (AOT)

Treatment Advocacy Center — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 13:57:00 +0100

While the Treatment Advocacy Center is the only organization that has a dedicated mission to increasing the use of AOT, numerous other organizations and individuals support AOT including:NAMI’s official policy states that AOT should be used as a last resort and that “Court ordered outpatient treatment should be considered as a less restrictive, more beneficial and less costly alternative to involuntary inpatient treatment.”The National Sheriffs Association recognizes that “the consequences of non-treatment can also be prevented by having laws that allow a court to order treatment in the community for individuals who are in need of treatment but refuse it (also known as Assisted Outpatient Treatment).”The Treatment Advocacy Center (www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org) is a national no...

Closing the barn door ...

Treatment Advocacy Center — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 21:04:00 +0100

Lots of bloggers have been posting raves for the recent Time Magazine article "Decriminalizing Mental Illness." It, like many other articles, is very supportive of CIT - but most all who praise this program seem to miss the fact that by the time someone with an untreated mental illness lands in front of even the most well-trained, compassionate CIT officer, they are in trouble - because they have already deteriorated to the point when law enforcement is involved.Cheer for CIT if you must, it is certainly better than no CIT. But it is no replacement for earlier intervention - and real help from well-trained, compassionate mental health professionals.The Treatment Advocacy Center (www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org) is a national nonprofit dedicated to eliminating barriers to the timely and eff...

Death sentence in Alabama

Treatment Advocacy Center — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 15:16:00 +0100

"Farron Barksdale will die in an Alabama prison," said the prosecutor when Barksdale was last week sentenced to life without parole.Doubtful he knew how soon those words might come true.Today Farron Barksdale is on life support.Prison is a notoriously terrible place for those with severe mental illnesses - and whether something happened to Barksdale during intake, as some reports indicate, or whether he succumbed to record-breaking heat in a facility with no air conditioning, the fact remains that Barksdale walked through the door of Kilby Correctional Facility and will come out in a hearse, whether it is this week or 50 years from now.Barksdale, who has schizophrenia, had called 911 for help - when two officers pulled up in his mother's driveway, he shot them with a high-powered rifle, th...

Thin blue line isn't a safety net

Treatment Advocacy Center — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 18:11:00 +0100

Anyone who doubts that law enforcement are increasingly the ones responding to people with mental illnesses who are in crisis needs only to read the news.Two stories today show examples, from different angles, how the safety of both law enforcement and citizens is compromised when the mental health community abdicates their responsibility to care for people with the severest mental illnesses.In a courtroom in Athens, Alabama jurors listened to police radio transmissions from the day Farron Barksdale killed two officers. Barksdale had called police asking to be directed to the FBI. When police arrived at his home Barksdale shot ten rounds from an assault rifle at the police cars.Barksdale, who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, was sentenced to life in prison without parole. In Texas, pol...

The first responders

Treatment Advocacy Center — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 20:50:00 +0100

Family members said Steven Guillory, 39, had been in and out of treatment for paranoid schizophrenia his whole life.On July 21, Guillory pummeled the windshield of a patrol car and threw a piece of three-foot pipe at officers. The officers at the scene said they attempted to taser Guillory, but it had no effect. Shortly after, Guillory charged at the officers and was fatally shot.The response by many in the Texas community where this tragic incident happened has been to blame law enforcement. Whether or not the police handled the situation properly is open to investigation, but there is no question that law enforcement officers are increasingly the ones responding to people with mental illnesses who are in crisis. The safety of both law enforcement officers and citizens is compromised when...

Canadian police praise treatment act

Treatment Advocacy Center — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:51:00 +0100

Police officers in Nova Scotia praise the passage of the Involuntary Treatment Act in Canada:Halifax police Supt. Bill Moore said the new law is useful, particularly since his officers come in contact with people with mental health problems on almost every shift."We have to understand a lot of people with mental illness are not going to voluntarily come to the system, so this is the system going back out to them," he said. "So from that point of view, I think it is a step in the right direction."The Treatment Advocacy Center (www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org) is a national nonprofit dedicated to eliminating barriers to the timely and effective treatment of severe mental illnesses. TAC promotes laws, policies, and practices for the delivery of psychiatric care and supports the development of...

Policing mental illness

Treatment Advocacy Center — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:36:00 +0100

A local TV station in Houston, TX recently followed police officers as they encountered people with mental illnesses. The TV station- KPRC – found that officers were well- trained in working with people with mental illnesses. Perhaps what is most interesting and startling about the investigation, however, is that the officers used this training so often throughout the day. According to the report: Officers encounter mentally ill people more often that you might think on the job. Robert [KPRC reporter] tells us the department believes that at least 10 percent of all the calls an officer handles every day involves a person who is mentally ill. That is 10 percent of each officer’s day that he or she spends working as a mental healthcare provider and not as a law enforcement officer. The T...

Confidentiality's unintended consequences

Treatment Advocacy Center — Fri, 25 May 2007 17:46:00 +0100

Albert Gibson was worried. His son Stephen, who had been hallucinating and seeing ghosts in their home, had been issued a pistol purchase permit. Under North Carolina law, once such a permit is issued, the sheriff’s office has few options for revoking it. John Aldridge, special deputy attorney general and a leading expert on North Carolina gun laws, explained that sheriffs must either ask the person to voluntarily relinquish their permit, or seek a court order to have it revoked. And so Albert began working with the sheriff’s office to prove that his son was ill. Sheriff Donnie Harrison wanted to help, but needed documentation. And that’s where the system broke down. When Albert Gibson sought to obtain information regarding his son’s care, he was told that because his son was an a...

Police not at fault – failed mental health system is

Treatment Advocacy Center — Tue, 15 May 2007 15:37:00 +0100

Everyone knew Mr. Pierson struggled with symptoms of mental illness. Lately his symptoms were worse. He was hearing voices and would sit in the dark alone all day. His neighbors were scared of him – even the postman knew he was “disturbed.” On Tuesday, Mr. Pierson was fatally shot by police when he refused to lower the shotgun he had been firing in the neighborhood. His family doesn’t fault police - "If I was in the same position, I would probably have done the same thing," his son said.The fault lies with Virginia’s mental health system that makes it nearly impossible to help a man who may be hearing voices but is not yet “imminently dangerous” or “substantially unable to care” for himself. Despite the family's understanding, it is likely that the police who shot him wil...

Virginia AG calls for better mental illness tx law

Treatment Advocacy Center — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 15:56:00 +0100

Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell explained to WDBJ 7 Roanoke that he will ask the Virginia legislature to pass Kendra’s Law when they return in January. As regular readers of this blog will remember, legislation to update Virginia’s outpatient commitment standard was passed over by the Virginia Courts of Justice committee in January. Their reasoning? They wanted to wait for the Supreme Court Commission’s report, due in 2008 and since bumped to 2009.Recent events at Virginia Tech may finally convince legislators that compelling treatment for a small number of the sickest people is not only humane, but cannot wait 2 more years – people across the state are suffering every day. Just because their stories don’t make international headlines doesn’t mean they aren’t horrible...

Bloody Monday in CA

Treatment Advocacy Center — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 20:25:00 +0100

Not a good week in California if you need treatment but instead encounter police.In Santa Rosa, officers responded to a 911 call from a woman who claimed her husband was firing shots into the ceiling of their home because he believed there was an intruder in the attic. The woman also told authorities her husband was bipolar and needed his medication. Officers opened fire on Richard DeSantis, who was killed in his driveway. His wife and 2 young children were home at the time.In Van Nuys that same evening, John Eric Goudeaux ignored orders by police to drop his weapon, a 3-foot-metal bar, when they responded to a call that Goudeaux was holding his ex-wife hostage.Goudeaux’ mother asked: "Why didn't they shoot him in the leg and take him to a mental hospital?" That is the same question pose...