Council Urges Changes
Cops' Dealings With Mentally Ill Debated

By REUVEN BLAU

The City Council Feb. 28 urged the NYPD to look into new ways to record and resolve emergency response calls involving emotionally disturbed individuals.

The Chief-Leader/Michel Friang 'EXPANDING INFORMATION': NYPD Chief of Patrol Robert Giannelli told the City Council last week that the department is looking into creating a database system that will allow responding officers to see how many similar calls involving Emotionally Disturbed Persons (EDP) were made from a particular apartment or house before they arrive at the scene.

The Council resolution was proposed four months after a mentally ill teen in Brooklyn, Khiel Coppin, was fatally shot by police. The officers believed the brush he pulled from under his sweatshirt and pointed in their direction was a gun.

'Failures Cause Deaths'

"We understand that there's no perfect system," said Brooklyn Councilman Albert Vann, one of the bill's co-sponsors. "However, the failure of this system results in deaths of individuals."

NYPD Chief of Patrol Robert Giannelli said the department is looking into creating a database system that will allow responding officers to see how many similar calls involving Emotionally Disturbed Persons (EDP) were made from a particular apartment or house before arriving at the scene. "We are trying to expand information received so we can do a computer check," he testified.

The department, he maintained, has made quickly responding to calls dealing with mentally ill individuals roaming outside of a residence its main concern. "There's no higher priority than an EDP outside," he asserted, noting that statistics have shown that those calls are highly volatile. "A Police Officer shot is not a higher priority."

200 EDP Calls a Day

According to the NYPD, on average patrol officers are dispatched to EDP calls more than 200 times a day. In 2007, emergency operators received over 10 million calls for help, and over 87,000 of those radio runs involved EDPs, Chief Giannelli said.

The Chief-Leader/Michel Friang 'WHY DIDN'T THEY KNOW?': Brooklyn Councilman Albert Vann last week questioned why police officers who fatally shot mentally ill teen Khiel Coppin weren't aware of his situation, as relayed by his mother to cops inside their Brooklyn apartment. The officers on the street believed the brush he pulled from under his sweatshirt and pointed in their direction was a gun.

According to the NYPD, on average patrol officers are dispatched to EDP calls more than 200 times a day. In 2007, emergency operators received over 10 million calls for help, and over 87,000 of those radio runs involved EDPs, Chief Giannelli said.

But those figures can be misleading because they are largely based on the initial distress calls, said City Councilman Peter F. Vallone Jr., the Chairman of the Public Safety Committee.

Chief Giannelli stressed that the current record-keeping system is designed to enable the NYPD's specialized Emergency Service Units to rapidly respond. He claimed that those units last year never "discharged a firearm."

Mr. Vallone, however, questioned that assertion, citing the death of Mr. Coppin and David Kostovski, who was also fatally shot by police after he reportedly lunged at two officers with a broken wine bottle and ignored their orders to drop the weapon.

'Misleading Statistic'

"You just gave us a statistic that's misleading," Mr. Vallone told Chief Giannelli. "I think you have to change how you classify some things."

PETER F. VALLONE JR.: 'No shots but two dead?'

Chief Giannelli began his testimony by stating that police encounters with the mentally ill or emotionally disturbed persons are among the most difficult of all police interactions and require a high degree of skill and sensitivity.

He noted that dealing with those cases has been further complicated because the NYPD has had a difficult time obtaining medical histories of mentally ill individuals due to the Privacy Rule under the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

"Sometimes we get there and want to run a name, but there are barriers in the medical and mental-health community," he remarked.

Many Council Members, including Mr. Vallone and Oliver Koppell, said they would look into encouraging Federal lawmakers to amend the law for emergency cases, although their influence over such matters is limited. "This is information that your officers need to know," Mr. Vallone said.

Assess Situation

Officers dealing with EDP calls follow a specific protocol, Chief Giannelli said. The first responding cops have to assess the situation to determine whether there is an immediate threat of serious physical injury to anyone involved, he remarked.

"If the individual is armed or violent, no attempt is made to take the person into custody without the specific direction of a supervisor, unless there is an immediate threat," he added.

The officers then often establish a "zone of safety" between the person and the officers, which is typically at least 20 feet. ESU officers, who are specially trained and equipped with Tasers and other non-lethal devices, are then called in.

Those elite officers receive 16 hours of tactical training in dealing with emotionally disturbed persons, and an additional 40 hours of emergency psychological training. The instruction is given via a five-day course at John Jay College and funded by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Role-Playing Scenarios

That curriculum includes classroom discussions and role-play scenarios, Chief Giannelli said. Successful completion of the instruction results in the officer being certified as an "Emergency Psychological Technician," with two college credits awarded.

Chief Giannelli detailed the training other officers on the force receive in dealing with mentally ill individuals. Newly promoted Sergeants get 14 hours of instruction, and newly promoted Lieutenants receive an additional seven hours.

Councilman Vann, however, questioned how the NYPD's procedures worked in dealing with Mr. Coppin, who jumped out the window of his Brooklyn apartment after the police surrounded him.

Mr. Vann noted that the officers outside who fatally shot Mr. Coppin did not fully know his situation, as relayed by his mother to the police inside the apartment. "The question is, why didn't they know?" he asked.

At the hearing, officials from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Health and Hospitals Corporation also testified, detailing the programs their agencies have in place to help deal with mentally ill individuals.

Crisis Teams

The DOHMH has 23 mobile crisis teams, which operate under the auspices of voluntary agencies and municipal hospitals. Those teams of social workers and psychiatrists usually visit at-risk people at home, providing a range of services including assessment and supportive counseling.

Councilman Koppell suggested that the NYPD and the city's health agencies consider models of crisis intervention used by other police departments around the country. He cited the "Memphis Model," which includes a specially created trained corps of police officers who undergo a 40-hour program conducted largely by mental-health providers.

"Dealing with the police creates a different feeling than when approached by a doctor," Mr. Koppell added.

Chief Giannelli said the NYPD was open to looking into new programs. But he stressed that officers were not mental-health counselors. "I think our record testifies to the success of our program," he asserted. "We are not here to treat or heal. We are here to take the EDP into custody safely, without hurting anyone around."