Monday, September 2, 2013

National police officers gathering in Saskatoon to focus on mental health

Police officers facing a potentially dangerous citizen in the midst of a 

mental health crisis need to know they can use alternatives to lethal 

force, says a filmmaker who will address police boards from across 

the country this week in Saskatoon. Photo: The StarPhoenix


Police officers facing a potentially dangerous citizen in the midst of a mental health crisis need to know they can use alternatives to lethal force, says a filmmaker who will address police boards from across the country this week in Saskatoon.
Leaders must encourage a police culture that supports officers in taking the time to prevent deadly outcomes, said Laura Sky, whose documentaries have included an examination of police use of lethal force and post-traumatic stress among officers.
The recent police shooting of a teenager on a Toronto streetcar makes the Canadian Association of Police Boards' choice of policing and mental health an apt and timely theme for its annual gathering.
"Good intervention takes judgment, wisdom, time, and peer and institutional support. Those are the ones that end the best. People don't (wind up) dead," Sky said in an interview this week.

Read the full article from the StarPhoenix.com [here].