July 28, 2009
Talk before Tasers is always the best policy
To BC and national dailies
An inquiry is currently underway in Nova Scotia involving the tragic taser-related death of Howard Hyde, a man with schizophrenia. The incident could have happened in BC and, indeed, many instances of taser deployment are connected with people in psychiatric crisis. That’s why as BC’s taser inquiry wraps up, our Association applauds the thoughtful and comprehensive Braidwood Inquiry report recommendations and the Solicitor General’s endorsement of them. Commissioner Braidwood conducted a thorough investigation of the factors and potential impacts in the use of this device and, we feel, has made balanced and appropriate recommendations for its use in law enforcement.
The taser debate is not new, although the level of public discussion is probably the greatest it’s ever been. The issue generally has had two sides—ban tasers or use them. But the issue isn’t so simple, especially for people with mental illness. When tasers first came into use, we supported them as an alternative to lethal force, and they may still be useful in that limited situation. But we continue to stress—as we did in our testimony at the Braidwood inquiry—that most situations involving people in crisis should never reach that point. If police are trained to recognize and respond appropriately to psychiatric crisis with advanced crisis communication techniques, then the need to use force can be substantially reduced in most situations.
Our revised 2008 policy position on taser use informed our submissions to the Inquiry. A major focus was the importance of using de-escalation techniques when police are dealing with persons in mental health crisis, and the need for police officers to be trained in and to use these techniques to achieve the best outcomes possible for all involved. We know that people in mental health crisis are more frightened than aggressive, and that supportive de-escalation resolves the crisis much more effectively than force, and with less trauma on the individuals in crisis, their families, and police officers themselves. Use of these weapons or other means of force should be a last resort.
Over the past 10 years, with funding support from BC Mental Health and Addictions Services, Vancouver Foundation, BC Law Foundation, and individual donors, our Association has researched and promoted best practice in police response to mental health crisis. All law enforcement personnel do need mental health training, but not all to the same degree. We have researched and developed a policy statement on best practices for four different levels of mental health training for law enforcement: basic, recruit, in-service, and advanced training, the latter based on the “Crisis Intervention Team” (CIT) model, recognized in the United States as a gold standard. In the CIT model, police officers volunteer to receive advanced training in de-escalation skills in responding to mental health crises and become the “go to” officers in these situations. Clearly, not all officers are appropriate for this intensive training and intervention work, nor is it practical to engage all front line officers in this model.
Since 2006, our Justice Coordinator has worked in partnership with the RCMP and a multidisciplinary committee to implement an even more comprehensive CIT program first developed and piloted by the RCMP’s CIT coordinator in 2004. This model trains community teams of first responders to not only effectively de-escalate crises, but to help prevent future crises. The BC CIT model involves comprehensive training for a select group of police, dispatchers, ambulance personnel, emergency room nurses, and other first responders as a community group. Having trained together, they have a common understanding of mental illnesses, symptoms, de-escalation techniques, relevant law, and each others’ authority and obligations. The team continues to work together in the community to resolve issues, provide in-house training, and find ways to help people who have ongoing mental health issues live better lives in the community, which also reduces the demand for emergency response. It’s a win-win situation.
Our recommendations to the Braidwood Inquiry also included the engagement of Emergency Medical Services when tasers are deployed, discouragement of multiple discharges, rigorous independent research on the effect of tasers, and systematic collection and review of taser usage data. We are very encouraged that all these recommendations were included in Braidwood’s recommendations. As we look to the inquiry now of Howard Hyde out east, we hope BC can lead the way to more appropriate, effective and humane responses to people in crisis in their interactions with police.
Bev Gutray
Executive Director
Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division
Vancouver, BC
