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Once again, the cry for gun control goes up across America. This is not useless, but it has proven to be close to it in the past. A major segment of American citizens sees gun ownership as more important than almost anything else in their lives, and that is not going to change. The problem in California was more complex than that, but, had there been a good way to do it, keeping guns out of the hands of this killer, Elliot Rodgers, clearly would have been a good thing.

Sheriff’s deputies went to interview the potential killer in April. It appears that this was listed as a “welfare check”, a common police practice when a distant relative calls police and asks them to check on someone. They found nothing threatening in his manner of behavior and left it at that. What we don’t know is how much information they had and how the message from the parents might have been distorted or downplayed by the time it reached the officers.

America’s police officers are traditionally drawn from those who like to, even enjoy, being tough. They see themselves in the role of busting criminals and doing rough justice to bring them in, if that’s what it takes. Many people say that the kids who were bullies in high school become police officers later. The situation in Isla Vista called for something more in April, before the shooting started.

Traditionally, many police officers have had high school educations and nothing more than the time they spend at the police academy. (Many police departments now require officers to have at least two years of college and it is not uncommon now for police to have college degrees, as it once was.) The accepted skills of police and the orientation of police forces are out of date. How many have psychology degrees? How many are trained to think that such a routine encounter might be the last chance to stop a mass killing? When the courts ruled on de-institutionalizing millions of people with mental problems, the job of the police changed overnight. How many departments have fully adjusted? If they are to be our frontline of defense against terrorism and mass killings, they need a bigger tool kit, to be sure.

America’s police officers have less training than most in advanced countries around the world. Indeed, some nations require a full year of training, even if the person has a four year degree. Military people, in contrast to police, are offered many opportunities at advanced training throughout their careers and many go on to get master’s degrees and even Ph.Ds while still in military service. If you become a police officer, you do your 20 to 26 years of work and then get a fat retirement check for the rest of your life. Retiring is a good option for many, because they are often allowed to draw their full retirement pay while working in second careers. When they then finally, actually, retire they can have a very comfortable bank account to pad out their retirement pay for as long as they live.

Looking back, it is easy, of course, to see what might have been done differently when the police went to the apartment of the killer. Had one officer stayed behind for a few moments and asked Rodgers some deeply personal questions, who knows what might have happened. He might have cracked and revealed the truth about himself. Had they asked to see his room, they would have found a storehouse of guns and plans for killing. If Rodgers had given his permission, they would be allowed to look at the room and many people, (including apparently Rodgers at the time) don’t know they can refuse permission to police to look in private places without a search warrant. Many people think you have to “cooperate” with police or you will be arrested.

Our mental health problems were essentially dumped in the streets in the 1980s, both by court decisions and by governments, national and local, backing away, taking a more hands off approach to the mentally ill. This isn’t working. There must be a better, more moderate middle ground between the days of “The Cuckoo’s Nest” and the current stand back and wait approach. Big changes have to be made, but they don’t mean, should not mean, that we have to surrender our constitutionally guaranteed freedoms.  A more aware and still careful, guarded approach could save many lives.

Too often, people in various fields in our country concentrate on what they can’t do under the law rather than what might be needed. Following the letter of the law does not have to mean that the choice is between arresting someone, getting them committed to a mental hospital or walking away. Arresting people should be the last resort when all other efforts fail or when the evidence is clear. Of course, there is always the risk of a lawsuit if the police go too far when not warranted, but that is a risk we should be willing to take, or they should be willing to take, if it can save lives. 

Following the shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado, police nationwide changed their procedures for dealing with an “active shooter” situation. Now, they are instructed to act aggressively, to take risks, rather than stand outside while more people get shot and victims bleed to death. We need a comprehensive review of police procedures in dealing with the mentally ill and we need an even more important review of how people with serious mental illness are handled generally. Both are overdue. The old system was abusive of individual rights, the new system is abusive in regard to the right of a society to be safe from harm and random murder.

An added comment: the police officers who fired on the moving vehicle did exactly what we expect and hope of them in such an emergency. They probably deserve credit for bringing the murder spree to an end. They put their lives at risk to stop the killing of innocent civilians.

The much criticized “Obamacare” requires health insurance companies to treat mental illnesses as being the same in terms of coverage as physical illness. This one change alone should enable millions of people to get care and could be one of the most important developments of the last 40 to 50 years in stopping mass killings.

Doug Terry, 5.27.14

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to go to recent posts, nearly 300 pages of news and comments filed during the first nine months of 2013 and during the critical election year of 2012.

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to go back to prior years (500+ pages) of The TerryReport

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