Opinion: Police and the mentally ill

Tampa's next mayor should investigate the troubling number of incidents in which mentally ill people have been shot by police. Tampa police have injured or killed five disturbed people in recent years. There is a growing awareness nationally of the relationship between mental illness and crime, and an inquiry could assess how officers can better protect themselves and the public.

This month's shooting marks the seventh time in less than a decade that a Tampa Bay resident with a history of mental illness has died in an encounter with police. In this case, the officer reported she confronted the man for "suspicious" behavior; he took her baton, they struggled, she pulled her gun and fired. The investigation of the incident will focus only on whether the officer's fear for her life was legitimate. But how did the standoff reach that point? Why did the two become combatants so suddenly? Could different policy and training have de-escalated the incident?

Many of the other shootings share a similar backdrop. Most officers are inadequately trained to deal with disturbed persons, many of whom are only further aggravated by the standard police tactic of overpowering a situation. Even after authorities reacted to a 1998 shooting death by promising that it would spur training in crisis intervention, Tampa still hasn't committed the money or manpower to prepare its officers. This creates a dilemma for families of mentally disturbed people. Should they call the police, knowing that the confrontation could lead to violence, or should they try to handle a potentially explosive situation on their own?

Tampa needs to make the intensive week-long training course mandatory. It also needs to boost the number of TPD officers enrolled. Only one in 10 have taken the course. Improving communication skills, learning new tactics and investing in nonlethal equipment could have positive results. It takes money, but Pam Iorio and Frank Sanchez have claimed public safety is their priority.

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