This week, we asked readers their opinions on the best way for City officials to respond to people experiencing a mental health crisis or so-called emotionally disturbed persons (EDPs) who are armed.

 

“I personally feel that instead of just talking to them, I feel like [the police] should just tase them, like detain them first. I feel like you can’t talk to a person with mental illness because you need to put them in a mental illness facility or a hospital… If you have mental illness, you shouldn’t be put in jail because they won’t learn anything, and they’re supposed to be given medicine.”

Kayliena Ano,

Manhattan

“Police need to control their anger most of the time, you know? Most of the time, I know they’re doing their job but when you see a gun, it could be fake or real. They don’t always have to shoot somebody in the head. They could shoot him in the leg or in the arm or tase him or talk to him. Pretty soon stop and frisk is going to come back. It’s dangerous now. You’ve got to understand. You think this is a movie? Robots can’t do everything. A robot can probably do it better than shooting someone in the head. Instead of shooting someone in the head, they should try and shoot him in the leg.”

Jesus “Pork Chop” Chuito,

Parkchester

 

“In my opinion, the best solution is the same way everybody should know CPR, everybody should know how to deal with something like this in some form or fashion. If you choose to be a police officer, your job is to protect and serve, right? So, you should know how to restrain somebody unforcefully. You should know some type of martial arts or something or have some type of tranquilizer training with EMS… There needs to be multiple steps in place in order to deal with something like that. A lot of people going through something like that often just need somebody to talk to.”

James Crosland,

Brooklyn

 

“Stop waiting for the City to respond and for the community to come out and respond, and I’ll clarify.. A lot of our issues here in The Bronx really stem from people minding their own business, that whole mantra ‘snitches get stitches.’ Even though I understand this, it’s not what’s helping the problem. In most of these cases, they’re impressionable young adults that are angry, upset, and it is mental illness but it’s a different kind of mental illness.”

Gene DeFrancis,

Allerton

(former candidate for Assembly District 80)

 

“Most important is a combined effort between police officers trained to handle these kinds of situations and EMS. During any breakdown or mental meltdown, we need people trained for this. Every case is different and cannot be handled as a crime. Few people even remember key details after such an incident. The City must find a way to train all employees so they know when they are in this kind of situation. They must know how to react and not escalate the situation.”

Sheila Sanchez,

Olinville

 

Editor’s Note: Read about some recent police-involved shootings in The Bronx here, here and here. A further police-involved shooting took place in Melrose on Friday morning, April 21, involving a disturbed man holding a scissors.