NH - Cody Lafont shot and killed by police responding to 911 call

drjones

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Very little information has been released, not even a clear narrative of the situation or why exactly deadly force was needed.

What I have been able to gather so far is that the man had mental health issues, a history of misusing 911, several misdemeanor convictions and had been charged with resisting arrest in the past after a trespassing incident.

All I can find on the actual shooting is that the police responded to the home after a 911 call and there was a "confrontation".

http://www.wmur.com/news/autopsy-planned-for-man-shot-by-police-in-claremont/41830598

Cody Lafont, 25, was shot after a confrontation with officers early Sunday morning. The Attorney General's Office is leading the investigation.
A neighbor reported hearing three gunshots coming from 53 Congress St. just before 5 a.m. Sunday. Investigators said a call to 911 was made from the home, and there was a confrontation between police and Lafont when they arrived.

[video=youtube;LroVzHZyQKw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LroVzHZyQKw[/video]
 
[video=youtube;aaT-acgx5Uk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaT-acgx5Uk[/video]
 
This is just heartbreaking. We need to spend more money on training for police. They have to deal with lots of mental illness and training would help them deal with it effectively and safely for everyone.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
This is just heartbreaking. We need to spend more money on training for police. They have to deal with lots of mental illness and training would help them deal with it effectively and safely for everyone.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nurses and other healthcare workers have to deal with violent or out of control patients all the time (sometimes twice their size!) and are able to do it without weapons. So we know it's possible. Of course they have years of training which LE doesn't.

Someone mentioned a specific mental health crisis response team (I think on the El Cajon thread) and I think it's an idea that needs to be looked into.

Eta omg I fail at typing today.
 
This is just heartbreaking. We need to spend more money on training for police. They have to deal with lots of mental illness and training would help them deal with it effectively and safely for everyone.


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Why do we need to put it on the police all of the time? Mental Health issues should be taken over by professionals. In the old days, if you needed someone taken to the mental clinic, they sent someone out to gather them up. It was not always the police who had to do that.

It is tough on the cops because they are trained as a force. They are trained to confront criminals and DUI drivers and Domestic batterers. That is all tough to do and it takes most of their time and energy just to keep up with all that. So now we want them to be mental health professionals and learn to do what the loved ones and family members cannot do? If someones mother or sister or wife cannot convince someone to go with them to seek help, how is a cop in a uniform going to do it?

People call the cops for help because they are strong and can use force. That is the truth of why families call on them. But at the same time, if the patient resists and becomes physically aggressive, then everyone screams at the cops. It is kind of a no win situation for them, in my opinion.

They do receive training in deescalation and mental health calls. But it is never going to be enough because it is an almost impossible task. If it was easy, the family or the mental health counselors would take them in to the clinics themselves. They don't do it because it is difficult and dangerous.

We are asking too much of our police officers, in my opinion. we need to expand our health services to do this kind of a call. JMO :cow:
 
Nurses and other healthcare workers have to deal with violent or out of control patients all the time (sometimes twice their size!) and are able to do it without weapons. So we know it's possible. Of course they have years of training which LE doesn't.

Someone mentioned a specific mental health crisis response team (I think on the El Cajon thread) and I think it's an idea that needs to be looked into.

Eta omg I fail at typing today.

But a patient reacts to a nurse in a clinic setting very differently than they react to a man in a cop uniform, who was called ti take them away from their home. I think it is kind of unfair to expect them to start out on the same footing because it is very different right from the start. They are put in the position of being the 'force' needed by the family to confront their troubled family member.

Also, the nurse KNOWS that her patient is not armed. The cops do not know that when they go to engage with a person having a mental breakdown. And sometimes they are armed.
Also, a whole lot of healthcare workers get injured, frequently.
 
So as stated above, nurses have years of training with the mentally ill, and yet; HUGE CRISIS in workplace violence from patients





Nurses Face Epidemic Levels of Violence at Work - Robert Wood ...
www.rwjf.org/.../nurses-face-epidemic-levels-of-vi...
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Jul 16, 2015 - Nurses' and nurse assistants' rates of workplace violence injuries rose steadily ... “As we see more mental health patients in the emergency room, we also see ... That's why health care workers and administrators need to take ...


Occupational Traumatic Injuries Among Workers in Health Care ...
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/.../mm6415a2.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
by AE Gomaa - ‎Cited by 13 - ‎Related articles
Apr 24, 2015 - Additionally, to prevent patient-handling injuries, health care institutions ... patients at risk for committing violent acts (those with mental illness, ...

State mental health care workers point to injuries in call for increased ...
www.baltimoresun.com/health/bs-md-state-health-assaults-201606...
The Baltimore Sun
Jun 9, 2016 - State mental health care workers point to injuries in call for increased ... to injuries employees have suffered as a result of assaults by patients.

Increasing Violence Leads to Concerns Over Workplace Hazards | US ...
www.usnews.com/.../increasing-violence-leads-to-concern...
U.S. News & World Report
Dec 18, 2015 - Health care workers are often subjected to violence on the job, ... significant injuries from workplace violence occurred in health care and ... “Because of reduced funding for mental health services, severely ill patients with ...
 
Law Enforcement and Mental Health (from NAMI)

Each year, 2 million jail bookings involve a person with mental illness. Approximately 15% of men and 30% of women in local jails have a serious mental illness.2 1 in 4 people killed in officer-involved shootings has a serious mental illness.

Since 1988, NAMI and our national network of local and state organizations have partnered with law enforcement agencies on Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) programs, which help law enforcement cope with these difficult calls for service and increase safety in these situations—for officers, individuals in crisis and bystanders.

Supporting the Officers Who Protect Us
The stresses on law enforcement officers have grown greater, and we know that there is a disturbing trend in law enforcement suicide. With the increase in mass shooting events, it’s become more evident than ever that officer mental wellness needs to be a priority from the day of hire to retire.

We are failing many of our most vulnerable citizens.
 
And teachers have these same people in classrooms.
 
And teachers have these same people in classrooms.

People with mental illnesses also live with family members who somehow manage.

* One in four adults−approximately 61.5 million Americans−experiences mental illness in a given year.

* Approximately 6.1 million people live with bipolar disorder
* Approximately 14.8 million people live with major depression
* Approximately 2.4 million people live with schizophrenia

https://www2.nami.org/factsheets/mentalillness_factsheet.pdf
 
There are several issues of concern here. First is the fact that this man had a history of misusing 911 calls. The police department knew before they arrived who they would be dealing with and his history. Were they aware he was a mental case or did they think he was a just a bad guy? Right there is the defining question as to what was known, as if it was mental, it would be noted in his records IMO.

Another fact is local police know the history of repetitive calls to the same location. So, the older policeman should have known where they were going and who they were dealing with as soon as the name and address came up, It would seem like this older cop would give his newer partner a quick synopsis of where they were headed. Just using common sense and figuring there was few minutes drive time.

We don't have a story of why the guy called 911 or what happened upon police arrival. The only thing we know is the officer with two years experience is the one who shot and killed Cody Lafont. Just makes one stop and ask the question, did this officer over react in this situation? The story we hear will be one to make it appear the officer was on the defensive.

These are my opinions.
 
There are several issues of concern here. First is the fact that this man had a history of misusing 911 calls. The police department knew before they arrived who they would be dealing with and his history. Were they aware he was a mental case or did they think he was a just a bad guy? Right there is the defining question as to what was known, as if it was mental, it would be noted in his records IMO.

Another fact is local police know the history of repetitive calls to the same location. So, the older policeman should have known where they were going and who they were dealing with as soon as the name and address came up, It would seem like this older cop would give his newer partner a quick synopsis of where they were headed. Just using common sense and figuring there was few minutes drive time.

We don't have a story of why the guy called 911 or what happened upon police arrival. The only thing we know is the officer with two years experience is the one who shot and killed Cody Lafont. Just makes one stop and ask the question, did this officer over react in this situation? The story we hear will be one to make it appear the officer was on the defensive.

These are my opinions.

Self deleted
 
Law Enforcement and Mental Health (from NAMI)







We are failing many of our most vulnerable citizens.[/QUOTE. We are failing them, but I don't see why the blame is being put on the police instead of politicians that don't seem to be making laws to help the ones with mental problems.

I said "we" because it's more than one specific group or aspect of our culture failing them (culture, society, stigma, healthcare, education, mental health care funding, etc.), however for the most part police officers are the ones killing them and are the first step in the system that sends sick people to prison.
 
Why do we need to put it on the police all of the time? Mental Health issues should be taken over by professionals. In the old days, if you needed someone taken to the mental clinic, they sent someone out to gather them up. It was not always the police who had to do that.

It is tough on the cops because they are trained as a force. They are trained to confront criminals and DUI drivers and Domestic batterers. That is all tough to do and it takes most of their time and energy just to keep up with all that. So now we want them to be mental health professionals and learn to do what the loved ones and family members cannot do? If someones mother or sister or wife cannot convince someone to go with them to seek help, how is a cop in a uniform going to do it?

People call the cops for help because they are strong and can use force. That is the truth of why families call on them. But at the same time, if the patient resists and becomes physically aggressive, then everyone screams at the cops. It is kind of a no win situation for them, in my opinion.

They do receive training in deescalation and mental health calls. But it is never going to be enough because it is an almost impossible task. If it was easy, the family or the mental health counselors would take them in to the clinics themselves. They don't do it because it is difficult and dangerous.

We are asking too much of our police officers, in my opinion. we need to expand our health services to do this kind of a call. JMO :cow:

I don't disagree with you, but the reality is that they have to deal with this now because that's the way it is. In my area, there is only one psych hospital and it is private, for profit. I can't imagine them being called out for various issues.


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