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EDITORIAL: Helping those who need it -- Law enforcement and the mentally ill come in contact -- often

Anniston Star (AL) - 4/24/2014

April 24--By all accounts, the shooting death Tuesday of Frank Charles Johnston is a tragedy for all involved -- for Johnston's family, the Anniston Police Department and the officers on the scene.

All have been hurt, albeit in different ways. That a man lost his life and officers felt they had to use deadly force is a jarring reminder of the realities of law enforcement.

Any fatal shooting warrants a thorough investigation, including this one. Johnston, who was brandishing a pellet gun that resembled a handgun, ignored repeated calls to put down his weapon, officers said. But those who are focusing on APD's actions are ignoring the role mental illness often plays in situations involving the public and police. It's one of the leading issues in law enforcement today.

Let us be clear: Scant details about Johnston are known. We don't know why he was standing in that Blue Mountain street or why he wouldn't lower his pellet gun. We don't know if he had any health issues that led to the shooting.

That said, officers are commonly called to defuse situations involving the mentally ill and guns. What's obvious is that too little is being done, both nationally and in Alabama, to address people's mental health and keep violent situations from arising.

How intertwined are the mentally ill and law enforcement? On Wednesday, Calhoun County Sheriff Larry Amerson told The Star that as much as 25 percent to 30 percent of the people in jail nationally at any given time have some sort of mental-health issue. Five times during his 20-year tenure as sheriff have deputies had to use deadly force, said Amerson, the immediate past president of the National Sheriffs' Association. Four of those five situations involved what the sheriff described as the "seriously mentally ill ... It was the root problem, in my opinion, that led to the confrontation that required us to take the action we did," he said.

Our appeal is for those who can be a part of the solution -- Congress, the state Legislature, local officials and health workers -- to agree that fundamental change in how we identify and care for those with mental-health issues is needed.

Amerson points to two areas: (1.) recognizing the problem, and (2.) making funding available for programs, facilities and staffing that will make a difference. What the sheriff suggests is a big-tent philosophy that, with adequate funding and better legislation, will increase the treatment for patients and make it as difficult as possible for those with a history of mental illness to get firearms. "It is a whole lot cheaper to treat people in a community facility than it is to keep them in jail after they have committed a violent crime," he said.

No amount of funding can totally prevent these issues. But there should be no doubt that law enforcement's role in protecting the public, the mentally ill and themselves is of the utmost importance.

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(c)2014 The Anniston Star (Anniston, Ala.)

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