Report: More Than One Third of Massachusetts People Killed by Police Suicidal, Mentally Ill, or in Crisis

One third of people killed by Massachusetts police or suicidal, mentally ill, or in crisis, according to a 'Boston Globe' report.

Image via velkr0

One third of people shot by Massachusetts police between 2005 and 2015 were mental ill, a new in-depth report from the Boston Globe found. The report emerges as police shootings in the United States are under increased scrutiny, with movements like Black Lives Matter fighting back against racism and police violence. The Boston Globe study revealed just how large a role mental health plays in many violent or fatal altercations with police in the area.

According to the report, many family members and loved ones of the mentally ill have nowhere to turn but police in the case of a crisis. However, police are often ill-equipped to deal with such situations and deescalate them without violence. "Clearly, we have a lot of people walking around with mental health issues, and not enough beds and institutions," Boston Police Commissioner William B. Evans said in an interview with the Globe. "Years ago, many of them were forced out onto the street, and we’re the ones who are left to deal with it."

The report focuses on Massachusetts, but the problem is widespread. Mental illness has been on the rise over the last few decades, and more than half of those affected do not seek treatment. With mental care prohibitively costly in many places, many of those affected are unable to seek help and are arrested again and again. A 2015 report found that people with mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed by police. Many of the widely circulated videos of police killings in recent years involve a mentally ill victim. One, filmed in Los Angeles last year, shows police killing a homeless man who had just been released from a mental facility. A recent report found that 37 percent of people shot by Los Angeles police last year suffered from mental illness. 

In March 2015, footage was released of police shooting a mentally unstable man who was threatening them with a screwdriver. Also last year, Chicago police fatally shot a college student who was reportedly threatening family members with a bat. His mother later disclosed he had an unspecified mental illness. In 2012, police shot and killed an 18 year old with bipolar disorder during a mental health crisis. 

"Mental illness should be handled with concern and compassion," his family said in a statement following the shooting. "As we see it, the only thing criminal here is the response to the situation by the Rockford Police Department, and by the improper and reckless use of force against our son Logan, who was clearly only a danger to himself."

In response to the ongoing outcry against police violence, many departments are putting their officers through rigorous "crisis intervention training," changing protocols for how they deal with people who are mentally ill, and having social workers ride along on to calls in some cases. 

Latest in Life