Death report reiterates same tune
An inquiry into the killing of Pierre Coriolan by police comes up with the same sad song we hear every time: police need more crisis training so they have more confidence in de-escalating tense situations, rather than reaching for their gun.
Jeff 11:27 on 2021-08-24 Permalink
At what point do we give up on “police training”?
Kate 11:32 on 2021-08-24 Permalink
This is why people talk about defunding the police. We’ve given police forces break after break, yet they still make fatal mistakes. So, let’s take some of the vast sums we allot to policing, and put them instead to crisis teams led by social workers, community resources and so on.
But politically it can be made to sound dangerously radical, so we trudge on, watching cops reach for their revolvers.
In a way, defunding is simply an acknowledgment that policing as a mindset is flawed and may not be flexible enough to change.
Jeff 14:23 on 2021-08-24 Permalink
imagine having a social worker and a police officer arrive at the scene of a crisis. the cop would be there for safety, but the social worker would be in charge. i wonder if something like that would work
Kate 14:33 on 2021-08-24 Permalink
They’re about to try something like this downtown, but the odd part is, I’m almost sure things like this have been proposed and promised before. I will look it up, but it seems a fairly obvious step when the problem isn’t actual crime, but people who are behaving antisocially in public places, possibly because of mental illness or drug addiction, or even simple socioeconomic desperation.
It’s nearly 20 years I’ve been doing this blog and I’ve seen certain themes go round and round, but nothing so often as “let’s reform the police from within” which comes up over and over again but then we see nothing has changed.
Chris 09:33 on 2021-08-25 Permalink
Jeff, and when the social worker is attacked, then what? The cop will counter attack, and be in the news all the same, with people calling for their heads all the same. I don’t disagree with your proposal, but it will only help a little I suspect.
BTW when do you hit 20 years Kate?
Kate 09:39 on 2021-08-25 Permalink
The original version of this blog started in late November 2001. I’ve updated it almost every day since that time. Took a few days off for a death in the family, couple of other days here and there, but otherwise, it’s always updated.
MarcG 11:28 on 2021-08-25 Permalink
Chris: There isn’t a lot of data on the subject since these programs are new, but here’s a quote “Still, the limited available evidence suggests co-responder team programs may be effective in crisis de-escalation. For example, in their quasi-experimental examination of incidents managed by a co-responder team in Quebec, Canada, Blais, and colleagues (2020) found CFS involving the team to be associated with fewer incidents of police use of force. Specifically, force was used in only 4.2% of incidents involving the co-
responder team compared to 12.1% of similar incidents handled by regular patrol units.” ref