The death of a Rochester man in police custody earlier this year, has put the spotlight on how officers deal with calls that may involve mental health issues. Daniel Prude died a few days after officers put a hood over his head and pressed his head to the pavement, shortly after taking him into custody. He’d been acting erratically and his family says he had mental health issues. Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said how police deal with these kinds of cases is something the city is looking at.
“As part of the overall discussion on police reform, we are taking a hard look at what situations we are asking officers to respond to, where there might be more appropriate first responders to those issues, either in conjunction with the Syracuse Police Department or in place of the Syracuse Police Department,” Walsh said.
He added the department has prioritized crisis intervention training for officers.
“They need help, we are trying to provide them with help,” Walsh said. “But we’re also trying to be realistic and honest with ourselves about where we should be engaging with law enforcement and where we should be engaging in other support services to deal with these challenges.”
Walsh admitted there could be stronger relationships between police and agencies that deal with mental health issues.
