The Verona Police Department’s training in responding to a mental health crisis paid off last week.
According to the VPD, Lieutenant Scheper and Officers Seubert, Clark, and Heller responded to a home on Linn Drive at the request of a parent who feared for the mental health and well-being of her adult son. The officers spoke to the man for about 25 minutes and advised him to get help at a hospital. He became combative and struck two of the officers with his fists. He then pulled out a screwdriver-type tool from his pocket and assaulted two officers, one in the chest, breaking the skin just above the protective vest, and the other in the face, causing a minor cut above the eyebrow. The officers were able to subdue the man and, with the assistance of the Verona Rescue Squad, he was transported to a hospital for treatment.
The Police Department’s training was doubly important because while they had contacted the Essex County Mobile Crisis before the incident escalated, it was unable to respond for several hours. “Unfortunately, the current mental health services available are inadequate,” the VPD said in a statement, “and the police are often tasked with handling situations that require specialized mental health expertise.” Some New Jersey police departments, including that of West Orange, now have social workers on their staff to respond to mental health calls.
But many police departments don’t get either training or specialized staffing and the results can be tragic. According to research by the Washington Post, more than one in five people fatally shot by police in the United States since 2015 had mental illnesses.
In the Verona incident, criminal charges are pending against the man, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, obstruction, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct. The VPD noted that the officers and the man sustained only minor injuries.
“These situations are often unpredictable and can escalate rapidly,” the VPD said. “We commend the Verona Police Officers involved for exercising remarkable restraint in their use of force against someone experiencing a mental health crisis, where deadly force could have been justified. Members of the Verona Police Department and the Verona Rescue Squad often put their safety at risk when their compassionate intentions are met with aggression from those they are trying to help.”
