Portland Police Training w/ Julie Diamond
First Aired: 11-28-2007 -- 3 comments | Add comment
After James Chasse, a man with a schizophrenia diagnosis, was killed by Portland police in 2006, reforms included improved police training. Julie Diamond discusses efforts to help teach police better de-escalation and conflict resolution techniques as an alternative to force and violence.
Check out http://www.mentalhealthportland.org, http://www.juliediamond.net, and another audio interview with Julie at http://www.katejobe.com/podcast.html
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Education is the key, you must also remember that with every call, every traffic stop. a officer knows in the back of his mind that this could be the call that makes his or her family get that dreaded phone call. We are human, Not supermen, and not the “feel good police”. If a person is trying to kill someone it it is not our job to say “well he is off his meds.” or “he just needs a hug”. Or “he just needs a friend.” our job is to stop that person from hurting others or self. You can teach officers of some signs to look for, But if you need a hug, call your mom.
i was in a psychotic high in portland in september, 2007, teetering on a panic attack. the police showed up with about 8 paramedics, completely intimidating, and demanded i come with them to the hospital. i was kept in a dirty room for 24 hours, drugged, and sent to a mental ward for two weeks against my will. it was a humiliating experience. they called my parents (i was 19 at the time) who were able to fly me back home to pennsylvania. at the time, i was definitely experiencing heightened awareness and almost another dimension. the police and paramedics in portland showed no compassion whatsoever, just brute force and intimidation. Julie Diamond might as well be teaching hampsters how to use the toilet…. the police have no compassion for those in mental distress, and never will, because power corrupts.
that is a horrible experience – and unfortunately it is something police do again and again across the country. power definitely corrupts. i do think training police can improve the situation, because police are not a monolith and some respond to people in crisis better than others. i also believe there has to be clear consequences for police violence, like losing your job. that would really drive reform and send a strong message. feel free to send me your email address, I’d like to hear more about your story. – will