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

Oh wow. Thanks for noticing that! It was mentioned in the press conference from the Christopher Sowell shooting. Thanks for checking up on me.

 

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

If the family member could somehow manage their troubled relative, why all the calls to 911?

If they were actually able to 'manage' their loved one, they would not need to call two armed officers to escort them out of the home. Many family members admit to the cops that they are afraid of the person they are calling about.

 

The sad part about this is many times the person that is doing everything to the best of thier ability to help the person with mental illness is killed by them.

 

Family members don't call 911 every time there's a crisis - some of them never call at all. If they can understand and learn how to deal with someone in crisis without killing (or assaulting) them I think LEOs should be able to do the same.

 

I understand that. But my point is that it seems unfair to constantly threaten LE officers with homicide charges when these very difficult cases go sideways. No one else wants to do these jobs because they are dangerous and erratic and uncertain. So every one looks to the cops. Then they send two well meaning men in blue over and they sometimes get in over their heads.

My brother was a paranoid schizophrenic. I am not sure if everyone has seen up close what it is like trying to 'manage' someone in the middle of a 3 day manic episode. My brother thought the CIA was out to kill him, and they were able to 'hide' inside other peoples bodies and follow him around. He would literally be fighting for his life when someone tried to take him to the hospital. And he was strong and in a rage sometimes.

Our mental health resources are sorely lacking. But it seems unfair to hold the police responsible for making up for that inadequacy.

 

How often does that happen?

People with mental illnesses are more likely to be victims than perpetrators.

Myth: People with mental health problems are violent and unpredictable.

 

If they commit a crime they commit a crime and should be charged. Each shooting of a person with an illness or disability should be investigated. Fair or not they should still be expected to do their jobs without needlessly killing someone who is unwell.

 

I cannot tell you the number of nurses and other healthcare workers who have been harmed or terrorized by patients, family, and others in or visiting their workplace, so don't point to us as a shining example of "handling" things. IMO we try to maintain personal safety without much help or support from our employers. You know who *does* help? Yeah, the cops. Just another crappy thing heaped on their plates.

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Do you have any stats or actual numbers or is this just your opinion?

A success rate would also be helpful for comparison - what percentage of violent incidents with patients result in physical harm/assault/death compared to how many are dealt with without harm to healthcare workers?

My main point still stands though - workers and family members are able to deal with patients without resorting to shooting them.

 

http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/psy...nt-violence-against-health-care-professionals

Here's an in-depth article about injuries to staff at the state hospital on Oahu, Hawaii.

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/...spital-employees-out-of-work-for-months-years

And the effects on emergency department nurses.

Google returned 11.9 million results when I searched.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/emergency-639775-patients-says.html

 

I have been bitten, punched, slapped, had objects thrown at me, and several times knocked down while working as an RN. It doesn't just happen in the ER. I've had more assaults working in nursing homes by frail looking elderly residents than anywhere. A tiny old lady can really make you see stars if she pops you in the right spot. Also, it's amazing how hard it is to try to contain a person who is in the middle of a violent episode even if they are 90 lbs soaking wet. My first work related injury was a bite by a lady who literally had one front tooth. She broke the skin on my shoulder when I attempted to check her central line bandage. Nurses get abused ALot!

 

I'm not denying it happens and I'm sorry you've had to deal with all of that, but how many patients have you shot? That's my point.

Honestly I think people overlook how hard nurses work and how much they go through! My SIL is a pediatric nurse and has had to deal with trauma and upset patients and parents. She also volunteers in South America where they have to have security guards with them constantly. Other SIL is a psych nurse. I got nothing but respect!

 

I grew up just across the river in Vermont from this town. Our town had close ties to this town, such as rivals for sports, and shopping.I grew up in the area in the 60's and 70's when the towns were productive and prospering. But in the last couple of decades, this town, like many in the area has seen businesses leave, and unemployment sky rocket. The amount of drug use in my home town now is so scary. It wasn't that way when I grew up, but when a town has 15% unemployement, everything goes. Community services are no longer funded, or are of very limited use. Mental health assistance is so backed up, due to lack of money to pay for the professionals. It is a sad situation.

I feel bad for the mother, and I also feel bad for the police as they all were probably left holding the short straw in this incident. It is easy to say the patient needs to get mental therapy, but it may not be that accessible as we would like.

 

Obituary for Mr. Cody D. LaFont

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Police shooting of Claremont man ruled justified

That's so sad. If he had called a crisis line it could have made a huge difference - the reason he called 911 is exactly what they're there for. I don't think enough people realize they are out there and how to use them.