DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — Decatur community activists are calling for a change in the police department’s mental health response protocols.
This comes after police placed John Scott Jr. under arrest on Tuesday following a lengthy encounter between Scott and law enforcement that was captured on police body camera.
Community members said that they do believe that the police are properly trained to handle a mental health crisis response, but too often in Decatur, the response ends in further trauma.
Scott is still in the hospital, and his mother said that he is fighting to stay alive.
“He came into contact with three police officers that day, and all of them admitted and recognized that he was having a mental breakdown,” said Decatur activist Tommy Cook. “I don’t blame the mental health liaison because she has trained them. They are not applying their training to their job.”
According to a statement from Interim Chief Nadis Carlisle, the original call came from Scott’s mother, Paullette Tennison-Sanders, who said her son was acting out of character.
That encounter, police say, ended without issue. Decatur police responded a second time and offered Scott the chance to voluntarily board the ambulance for a mental health evaluation.
“When I saw that video, it was indicative of the Decatur police behavior, but it shouldn’t be,” said Terrance Adkins, co-founder of Standing In Power. “It shouldn’t be the department that we’re under.”
As the Decatur police department’s mental health liaison, Kate Anderson plays a vital role in how officers respond to mental health crises. Anderson told News 19 that officers on the scene contacted her after the first call and that they followed training procedures during the first call.
“In the de-escalation part, they did everything that I asked them to do. They had calm voices, and they used his name. They also used short sentences and didn’t overload him with questions or directions,” Anderson explained. “Mr. Scott was alert and oriented and did not meet the criteria for forced hospitalization. I was very proud of the way that they talked to him calmly; they talked to him one at a time. They provided him with options and explained those options.”
Sanders said that there is no change in his recovery as Scott remains in a coma.
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