Crisis Intervention
According to Kevin Robinson, writing for pnj.com:
A recent University of South Florida study found that of the nearly 172,000 people who were involuntarily introduced to Florida’s mental healthcare system in 2013, more that half of them were admitted through contact with law enforcement....
Lt. Patrick Vega of the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office said most of the time when people reach out to law enforcement concerning someone with a mental illness, it’s because the situation has already reached a point of crisis. The individual is usually out of control — posing a threat to themselves or others — and often not in a state of mind to comply with traditional law enforcement commands.
Think about that a moment; in 2013, in the state of Florida alone, there were almost 500 people a day involuntarily "introduced" to the state's mental healthcare system, and "most" of them were already "out of control" and had "reached a point of crisis."
The fact is that there are not enough police on patrol at any given time to deal with the extremity of the situation. So, who is it that is most likely to wind up having to deal with a nut case that is "out of control" and has "reached a point of crisis?"
Citizen, are you prepared to resolve a situation where you must deal with someone who isn't the least bit inhibited in killing you or your family?
/fl