Mental Disability

Hart et. al. v. City of Redwood City, et.al

Submitted by Jane Clayton on Tue, 06/18/2024 - 09:01

In this brief we argue that the court should grant rehearing because the Panel opinion conflicts with and would undermine this Court’s decisions in prior cases that make clear that “[w]hen “mental illness” is present and apparent in a police encounter, it “must be reflected in any [Fourth Amendment] assessment of the government’s interest in the use of force.” In other words, this Court has clearly established that when police officers perceive signs of a person’s mental disability, they “should make a greater effort to take control of the situation through less intrusive means.”

Reducing Law Enforcement's Footprint to Maximize Community Safety: Eliminating Police-Based Response to Low Level Traffic Violations and Mental Health Crises

Submitted by Jane Clayton on Tue, 02/06/2024 - 16:40

This white paper provides an overview of the harms that flow from relying on law enforcement for civil traffic violations and crisis intervention. These two arenas account for a significant portion of police-civilian contacts and, in turn, a significant portion of civilian deaths at the hands of police. In 2021 alone, police killed at least 1,140 people. 117 of those people were killed after police stopped them for a traffic violation, and 104 were killed after police responded to reports of erratic behavior or mental health crisis.