Deëscalation tip #41

Should police waste time trying to de people on drugs? When 911 calls are so frequent, should police waste time trying to deëscalate people who claim to be suicidal?

Well, maybe. It sure would have saved the life of one 40-year-old fellow in my town. A bullish cop rushed in, started issuing commands, and the person having a mental health issue was overwhelmed, lost his ability to think straight, and stood up to confront the cop, who then shot him dead.

I testified in court as a deëscalation expert and critiqued the police officer's approach. The jury agreed and awarded more than a $million to the family of the shot guy.

The same police force in my town, on at least a couple of occasions this year, took hours to eventually deëscalate someone intent on suicide. Was it better to "waste" time instead of wasting a life? 

There are no guarantees with deëscalation except a guarantee that a person committed to it will not be adding to the level of violence and loss in the world.