“Judgements prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances.”
-Wayne Dyer
Our police radio blared out yet another radio call on this busy Friday evening:
“20-Adam-14, 20-Adam-14, Handle a violent male with mental illness at Olympic Blvd and Western Ave, suspect is wearing a camoflauged jacket and black pants walking in and out of traffic and wielding a Samurai sword. Handle Code-3, incident 1124, RD 2036.”
“Code-3” means respond with lights and sirens. We were on what seemed like our hundredth code-3 call that day. I put up our windows, took a look in my rear view mirror and hit the light bar/siren switch with my right hand while my left hand maneuvered the steering wheel for a swift u-turn, all in one fluid & rehearsed motion. As I readied myself for a high adrenaline race through Koreatown’s rush hour traffic, my partner read out loud the comments of the radio call from our police car’s computer, he communicated with dispatch for updated details of the knife wielding man and used a different frequency to communicate with our responding police helicopter, all the while clearing my blind spots at every single intersection.
I weaved through stubborn cars with clueless drivers, trying to catch momentum between red lights. Watching for pedestrians with headphones on who never look right- left-right before crossing the street. I surgically hit sharp right turn apexes and purposely spring loaded my police car’s shocks with the skill of a Nascar driver, all the while looking for potholes, stray dogs and distracted motorists. My partner yelled out “CLEAR RIGHT!” in between his updates with our dispatch and his coordination with our police helicopter above. All the while he kept verbally reminding me of the suspect’s descriptors and updated location. I imagined the intersection’s landscape, pre-planned my tactical approach to the scene and burned a mental image of the suspect’s possible description into my psyche.
As we arrived at the scene the helicopter above directed us to his exact location. South west corner, no Samurai sword in sight. We spotted him immediately. Tall guy. Thin. About 45 years old. Scruffy, greying beard. Talking to himself and apparently to God as well. My partner yelled orders for him to turn around and put his hands on his head. The suspect still had on his camouflage jacket, but he decided to remove his pants completely before we arrived. He continued to talk to himself, agitated and furious he then put his hand into his jacket. We drew our guns anticipating a weapon. Instead the man removed his jacket and continued his rage in his birthday suit. At this point we were confident he did not have any swords on him. We had a second police unit with us. And plenty of less lethal munition at the ready. Efforts to verbally calm him down failed. He yelled threats on our lives and screamed that God would forgive him.
By now there were six officers on scene. Roughly 10-seconds had passed. Cars still sped by the busy intersection as we formulated a plan. Usually one officer is dedicated to less lethal force such as the Taser or beanbag shotgun. One officer is dedicated lethal force if necessary. One officer is dedicated to communications over our police radio. And the remaining officers go hands on to handcuff the suspect. That way all bases are covered. But before we were able to complete the assignments the suspect sprinted towards the street where vehicles were still speeding by. We instinctively swarmed the suspect! We were able to stop his sprint into traffic successfully avoiding motorists getting hurt, avoiding the suspect getting hurt and avoiding having to run into traffic ourselves. As we all caught up to him, an anonymous voice yelled out “Don’t hurt him he’s mentally retarded!”
Next thing we knew one officer immediately took a knuckle sandwich to his teeth. The suspect’s sweaty body made it next to impossible to control his arms. He flailed those lanky arms wildly, two more swings finding their mark on officer’s faces. He rear- kicked in my direction missing my groin by inches. He bucked and fought. A 50,000 volt Taser blast to his back only infuriated him even more. It didn’t cause massive pain or cause his body to contract uncontrollably like it did to me in the academy. Oh no. Instead he ripped out the metal prongs that clung onto his bare skin. This is not an infrequent occurrence and usually caused by a suspect being under the influence of some sort of narcotic. The close quarter fight did not allow for OC-spray (pepper spray) or a baton to be deployed. I hit him with all my strength. Two times on his rib cage and two times on his temple. I heard him grunt as I punched him. But it did not seem to phase him. Another officer, 6-foot 4-inch/280 lbs of muscle, jammed a well placed knee into the suspect’s gut. Only then did his hands stay in one place (his belly) long enough for us to gain control of his arms. We handcuffed him but he was not finished yet. Even while handcuffed his rear-kick struck an officer on the chest. Pain compliance techniques were applied to him even while he was handcuffed. It was the only way to ensure other officers did not get hurt any further. It was the only way to ensure he did not get up and run into traffic. It was the only way.
About ten punches later, two unsuccessful Taser blasts, countless pressure point attempts and one gigantic UFC style knee to the solar-plex, six officers lay on a bloody and naked handcuffed man. He finally took a break. We used that small window of opportunity to tie his legs and carry him into the police car.
We were finally able to lick our wounds and catch our breath. We were oblivious to the small crowds that had gathered while the incident transpired. The sea of smartphones pointing in our direction was incredible! The same voice yelled out “It takes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 officers to beat up a retarded man??? This is brutality!” Another voice yelled, “Cowards!” Yet another yelled, “Ten officers against one skinny guy! That badge must make you feel really tough!” I overheard a conversation in Spanish about the atrocity of police abuse and how she now had the undisputed evidence recorded in her iPhone. We were surrounded by sneers and by people shaking their heads in disapproval. My sergeant was on his way to interview witnesses and hopefully quell some of the negative perspectives of the on lookers. But sadly I knew most would not bother to listen.
What my colleagues and I saw as a small victory, was viewed by the witnessing community members as an abusive, heavy handed, power hungry police force. The more I thought about it the more I did not understand why the community did not see what I saw. I took a step back and pictured the scene from an outsider’s point of view:
Six officers versus one skinny man. Punches to his body and face. The sound of a Taser’s electrical current. Blood spewing from a naked man’s face. His twisted arms in unnatural positions even after he was handcuffed. Feet tied like an animal. Carried by a slew of officers and thrown into the backseat of a police car without even tending to his wounds........Wow. What savages we must have looked like.
I recently became involved in a heated debate with my eldest brother at a Mexican restaurant in Highland park. He could not understand the level of violence used in the recent Fullerton PD incident where a mentally unstable man died as a result of his injuries from a confrontation with police. I realized it was next to impossible to convince him that serious injury or death, while rare, is always a possibility and does not mean that the officers involved had bad intentions or were out of policy when conducting their duties. I also realized that my brother’s point of view was an example of most of people’s opinion in that crowd of smartphones during my fight with the naked man.
I believe that in order to help bridge a closer gap between the community and the police department when it comes to this issue, there needs to be an understanding of three equally important points.
1.Understanding our department’s use of force policy
2.Understanding our department’s training in dealing with the mentally disabled &
3.Understanding the fact that police action is always a reactive measure
My objective here is not to spit out boring definitions of our use of force policy but to hopefully shine some light on our policy through real life examples of the fluidity of different scenarios.
Any brute can use force to overcome a person’s actions. But the delicate science of reacting to a suspect’s aggressive attacks APPROPRIATELY is one that requires knowledge of policy, law and plenty of real life experience in dealing with violent suspects on the streets. It also requires quick split second decision making when reacting to an aggressive suspect. As an officer I have to react and stay only one step above a suspect’s violent acts. If I go two steps above I can be out of policy or even in violation of the law, which can equate to losing my job or being arrested myself! If I stay on the same level of violence with a suspect, I risk being hurt. If I go one level under the suspect’s violence, that means I am dead policeman. The next time you see me I will be in a casket at a beautiful police funeral, next to my crying mother who is being handed an American flag by Chief Beck. There are thin lines between appropriate force and criminal behavior. The windows of opportunity to stop a persons violent actions are extremely small. And it can mean the difference between going home safely, or risking serious injury or death for all parties involved.
So for example if a suspect raises his fists to fight me, I do not fight force with equal force. I will not put my fists up and square off for a fair fight. I will raise my defense to one level above the suspect’s actions. My OC-spray, my Taser, or my baton. Being one level above the suspect’s actions does not mean I am an abusive, heavy handed officer. It means I am fighting smart and looking to win and go home alive. I am looking to win against an unfortunate physical conflict against a mentally disabled person which can potentially put innocent men, women and children in harms way. If that suspect produces a knife, my options open up for lethal force. It makes no sense at all to take my knife out and fight the suspect like a Michael Jackson “Beat It” video! Now, if the suspect throws the knife down and approaches me with fists clenched, I have to quickly holster my firearm and stay only one step above his actions. If he retrieves another knife, I have to adjust my level of force. If he again throws the knife down and goes to his knees with his hands behind his head, I have to drop my level of force considerably. If I approach and he turns on me and tries to wrestle me, I need to quickly react and stay one level above his actions. As officers we play by the rules of our use of force policy and the laws of our land. We fight against people who do not have any rules. That makes our tasks much more difficult as we balance physical dangers and career survival decisions.
The second point I believe is important for the general public to understand is our training in dealing with the mentally disabled and the realities of applying that training in real life field situations. There are no doubt several mental health concerns that officers come in contact with on a day to day basis. Schizophrenia, Autism, Delusional, Bipolar Depression and the list goes on. There are also temporary mental health concerns that we confront on a daily basis. Some of these include Diabetic Shock, Alcohol Intoxication, narcotic highs from methamphetamine, acid, PCP and many others. In the police academy we are trained on how to deal with these different mental states. We are trained in how our own behavior as a police officer can set them off, what behavior is best to calm the situation and other options and resources that can be attained in the field. Those are just a few things we are taught. We have a field response team with a psychologist that responds to many of our mental illness radio calls. We learn from each encounter. We learn from examples around the country and allow those examples to influence our policy, mindset and tactics in order to better deal with the mentally disabled. Continuous improvement is a fundamental quality we strive to achieve. Police departments around the country comprehend the sensitivity of these issues. They understand how horrible it looks when force is used by police to take a mentally disabled person into custody. Most police departments support their officers, knowing fully that police work can be ugly at times.
In the field, time is needed to decipher if a person has a mental health disorder or is intoxicated. Unfortunately, having the luxury of time when an incident unfolds is not guaranteed. Even more unfortunate is how the importance of deciphering between these two mental conditions (mental disorder vs. intoxication) greatly decreases at the moment of a physical altercation. These truisms of violent street encounters with people who are not in the right state of mind are important for the citizens to comprehend. To add to the fundamental differences of opinion between the police and the community, the extremely important part for the community to comprehend and accept is that at the moment a fight ensues, the person’s mental illness is automatically a non-factor. It might seem calloused and cold, but when a person attacks a police officer or any citizen for that matter, it does not matter at all if the suspect suffers from a mental illness or not. It transforms from preparedness and caution to survival.
Lastly, in order to diminish some of the hatred community members might have against police officers, I believe it’s important for the non police mentality to understand one key factor: A police officer’s violent acts are always a reactive measure against someone else’s initial violent act. It is never initiated by officer’s themselves. Officers must find the safest way to handcuff a potentially violent mentally disturbed person. That is not an easy task, and sometimes that task escalates into a fight (from my experience, most of the time officers succeed in safely and calmly handcuffing these individuals).
Most normal people are not exposed to violence on a day to day basis. So understanding that an unfolding incident is a scary, extremely violent and brutal scene is not second nature for the public. Yes there are fists breaking noses. Yes there is one person very outnumbered by many police. Yes there are aluminum batons breaking bones. Yes there are bullets searing through human flesh. Sometimes a person’s schizophrenia makes them believe that officers are evil spirits here to take them to hell. Sometimes PCP can make a person’s pain threshold extremely high. It is a crazy cruel maddened world out there. Thats the reality of life. In the scope of inner city violence, officers deal with that violence head on so you and your family don’t have to, yet we get unfairly scrutinized when using that force.
Taking into account our use of force policy, our training with dealing with the mentally disabled and the realistic act of violence itself being a reactionary instinct by police rather than an offensive measure, I hope can give the public a better understanding of the complexities of dealing with violent encounters with the mentally disabled.
I was not at the Fullerton PD incident. With my expertise and training in dealing with these violent encounters I can say that it is possible for one of these scenarios to lead to a person’s death. The fact that most of these events end peacefully is a reflection of great police work by law enforcement officers across the nation. Even with my expertise and knowledge in these type of situations, I can not make a blind determination of any actions by the Fullerton PD officers. If the officers involved had bad intentions to hurt the individual, then they deserve to be punished to the law’s fullest extent. My intent here is not to pass judgement. I only want to make clear how such violent encounters CAN result in serious injury or death even when the correct decisions are made.
Keep those smartphones handy, LA...because you never know! Until my next blog, dawg!
PIECE LOVE & WHISKEY
Total Line-of-Duty Deaths for 2011: 173 Souls (13% increase from 2010)
Fallen Officer Since Last Blog: 100 Souls
Fallen Officers for 2012: 10 Souls
Sergeant Abimael Castro-Berrocales
Puerto Rico Police Department, PR
End of Watch: Sunday, January 1, 2012
Age: 40
Tour of Duty: 20 years
Cause of Death: Gunfire, shot twice in the face by unknown assailant during traffic stop
Survived by: Wife and 3 sons
Park Ranger Margaret Anderson
United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service, US
End of Watch: Sunday, January 1, 2012
Age: 34
Tour of Duty: 11 years
Cause of Death: Gunfire, shot with a rifle at a roadblock during a 90-minute gun battle
Survived by: Husband and 2 young children
Agent Jared Francom
Ogden Police Department, UT
End of Watch: Thursday, January 5, 2012
Age: n/a
Tour of Duty: 7 years
Cause of Death: Gunfire, shot while conducting a drug-related search warrant
Survived by: Wife and 2 young children
Deputy Sheriff William Coleman
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, AZ
End of Watch: Sunday, January 8, 2012
Age: 50
Tour of Duty: 20 years
Cause of Death: Gunfire, shot below the vest by a rifle during a burglary radio call
Survived by: Wife and several children
Detective Andrew F. Faggio
New Haven Police Department, CT
End of Watch: Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Age: 46
Tour of Duty: 14 years
Cause of Death: Automobile accident while responding to a stakeout assignment
Survived by: Wife and 2 children
Correctional Officer Clarence Tariq Hammond, III
Michigan Department of Corrections, MI
End of Watch: Saturday, January 14, 2012
Age: 33
Tour of Duty: 6 years
Cause of Death: Gunfire, shot in a botched robbery attempt, while arriving home in uniform
Survived by: 2 young sons
Deputy Sheriff Randall L. Benoit
Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office, LA
End of Watch: Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Age: 41
Tour of Duty: 18 years
Cause of Death: Automobile accident, head-on
Survived by: n/a
Agent Francis Crespo-Mandry
Puerto Rico Police Department, PR
End of Watch: Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Age: 55
Tour of Duty: 24 years
Cause of Death:Gufire, shot during a gas station robbery
Survived by: Wife and two children. He is also survived by four brothers, two who serve with the same agency, and one sister.
Sergeant Barbara Ester
Arkansas Department of Correction, AR
End of Watch: Friday, January 20, 2012
Age: 47
Tour of Duty: 12 years
Cause of Death: Stabbed, stabbed twice in stomach by inmate hiding contraband
Survived by: Husband who also serves with the same department
Officer Garret Davis
Honolulu Police Deptartment, HI
End of Watch: Saturday, January 21, 2012
Age: 28
Tour of Duty: 3 years
Cause of Death: Car accident, rear ended while stopping his police car behind a stalled vehicle on the left shoulder.
Survived by: n/a
(February's Blog #9 teaser: Occupy LA)
