About A Third Of LAPD Shootings Since 2017 Involve Person With Mental Illness

Here are the morning’s top stories on Thursday, May 23, 2024:

• The Los Angeles Police Department has argued for decades that it was doing more to de-escalate confrontations with people struggling with mental illness. But an LAist analysis shows that since 2017, 31% of people shot at by police were perceived by officers  to be struggling with some kind of mental illness. And that percentage has remained largely steady for years. 
• UCLA Chancellor Gene Block testified before Congress on Thursday, in a hearing on antisemitism on college campuses. The testimony comes after the university announced Wednesday that campus Chief of Police John Thomas has been temporarily reassigned pending an examination of UCLA’s security processes in the wake of a large group attacking a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus weeks ago.
• Lawmakers are weighing a bill in Sacramento that would require doctors to immediately notify police if they suspect a patient is a victim of domestic violence. Under current law, health care providers face misdemeanor charges if they don’t report suspected abuse to police, even if patients don’t want the police involved.

Nearly A Third Of LAPD Shootings Since 2017 Involved A Person In A Mental Health Crisis

The LA Police Department has worked for decades on de-escalating incidents involving people with perceived mental illness. But according to LAPD’s annual use-of-force reports, since 2017, 31% of people who were shot by police were thought to be struggling with some kind of mental illness.

An analysis from LAist found that that percentage has remained largely steady for years, even as the department has funded and deployed initiatives aimed at reducing these encounters.

In many of its own reports, LAPD officials cite “tactical de-escalation training” and specially trained response teams as ways to reduce the potential for violence and better serve the community. The department was one of the first in the nation to pair mental health workers with police. But they don’t have enough clinicians to meet a growing need.

UCLA Chancellor Testifies On Capitol Hill As Fallout From Campus Unrest Continues

UCLA Chancellor Gene Block testified before the Republican-led House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Thursday. The hearing was called to address antisemitism on college campuses.

Block has come under fire from many members of the campus community in recent weeks over the university’s handling of on-campus protests. 

In the wake of the school’s response to violence that broke out between counter-protesters and the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus, UCLA Police Chief John Thomas has been removed from his post and reassigned. 

Should California Doctors Report Domestic Abuse To Police?

Should doctors be required by law to notify police immediately if they suspect a patient is the victim of domestic violence? 

That question divided three physicians holding seats in the California Assembly when it came up for a vote last week. 

Under current law, health care providers face misdemeanor charges if they don’t report suspected abuse to police, even if patients don’t want the police involved. In recent years some advocates for domestic violence survivors say the mandatory reporting requirements have kept victims from seeking treatment. Advocates say victims fear that if police are called, they will get charged, their children will be taken from them or, in the case of undocumented immigrants, their families will be at risk of deportation.