Unarmed caretaker of autistic man shot by LEO

We did. My first thought was "Oh no, not again! until I saw the image and recognized it for the original story.
 
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My recollection from the articles about the event at the time was that the LEO in question was actually aiming for the autistic man, missed him and hit his paid caregiver in the leg. Not sure whether to be disgusted or relieved at the poor marksmanship in this case.....

Situations like this are why I take every opportunity afforded to me to train LE, EMS, and other first responders in what to expect when encountering individuals with intellectual disabilities or mental health diagnoses in their daily work.
 
rantingredneck said:
Situations like this are why I take every opportunity afforded to me to train LE, EMS, and other first responders in what to expect when encountering individuals with intellectual disabilities or mental health diagnoses in their daily work.
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Yes, absolutely. People (i.e., emergency services) need to know, the usual bag of tricks and ways of communicating ain't gonna work....
 
rantingredneck said:
Situations like this are why I take every opportunity afforded to me to train LE, EMS, and other first responders in what to expect when encountering individuals with intellectual disabilities or mental health diagnoses in their daily work.
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They definitely need more training. I can't tell you how many times over the years I saw in person or on a show like Cops, an officer escalate someone who could very easily have been reasoned with. Especially intoxicated individuals. The problem I see is that many of them may not have the capacity to truly understand what you are talking about, or the desire to give a damn. I know that my local PD only requires a GED. Not that a GED grad may not be an intelligent individual, some are quite the opposite that may have had some issues growing up.

I got to watch our local fire department do a "health and wellness check". It did not go well. The guy had just had brain surgery to remove tumors that had spread due to melanoma. A First Responder actually lunged at the guy because apparently he was having none of it. He did not make a move towards the fireman, just running his mouth. Soon enough four local PD show up and surround him. For his own safety I suppose.

What about the mental health of the students? Is your meter tuned to get a feel for the dangerous ones? Just curious. And if so, do you mention this to the supervisors of this person?
 
TripleO7 said:
What about the mental health of the students? Is your meter tuned to get a feel for the dangerous ones? Just curious. And if so, do you mention this to the supervisors of this person?
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I've never had a situation where I thought one of the officers/first responders in the class would be dangerous. I've had some that were less engaged in the discussion than others and you could tell they were only their because their Sgt or Cpt said they had to be. Those were the minority though. Usually I get really good questions that let me know they are actively engaged. And my part of the training is mid way through a full week so they've had time to process the earlier stuff and relate it to what I'm teaching.
 
rantingredneck said:
I've never had a situation where I thought one of the officers/first responders in the class would be dangerous. I've had some that were less engaged in the discussion than others and you could tell they were only their because their Sgt or Cpt said they had to be. Those were the minority though. Usually I get really good questions that let me know they are actively engaged. And my part of the training is mid way through a full week so they've had time to process the earlier stuff and relate it to what I'm teaching.
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You are definitely addressing something that needs attention, even if only for the limited time you have with each class. It's good to hear that many of your students are taking an interest. Hats off to you Sir!

It's easy to focus on the bad outcomes and call for heads. Like home defense stories that turn out well for the homeowner, we never seem to hear much about the guys that successfully de-escalate a situation without anyone getting hurt.
 
Sad isn't it? When the memory goes. :(
 
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