LEOs and the mentally ill

Man files brutality complaint against NPPD
By DREW WINCHESTER
STAFF WRITER
NORTH PORT — City police were alerted in mid-December last year that Joe Gibson had threatened to kill himself and then wandered naked into the woods off Interstate 75. After a long search he eventually turned up, on his own, at his mother’s house on Napolean Road.
He had calmed down, but another bout of mania struck and his mother called police back to her home to have him taken into custody through the Baker Act so he could get help.
Instead of taking Gibson to a mental health facility for 72 hours of treatment, as outlined by the Baker Act, North Port police would eventually arrest Gibson and charge him with a felony count of resisting arrest, after they say he physically lashed out at them.
A report from Gibson’s arrest on Dec. 15 states that the 30-year-old had conducted a “physical barrage” on the three officers who responded to the scene, but Gibson’s mother Stephanie said that instead of helping her son, the officers physically assaulted him.
The report states that NPPD Officer Christopher Clark punched Gibson in the head three times, but Stephanie said they hit and Tasered her son so many times she couldn’t keep count of the blows.
Stephanie was stunned, she said, watching in horror while Gibson was pinned to the ground and his head was punched again and again.
“It was obvious he needed serious help, but there was no negotiation, no attempt to even talk to him,” she said.
Gibson has filed a written complaint with the NPPD where he admits that he was delusional at the time and was not cooperating with officers. But, he also writes that the officers had control of him once pinned to the ground so there was no need to strike him, but as they continued to do so he attempted to shield his head with his arms. Gibson also wrote that he was taken to jail without ever having been read his Miranda rights or being told he was charged with a crime.
“I believe the officers charged me to justify their violation of my civil rights and their excessive use of force,” Gibson wrote.
Assistant Police Chief Tony Sirianni said he could not comment on the written complaint and is currently having staff gather documents for his review. A full assessment may take several weeks, Sirianni wrote in an email.
Gibson’s Sarasota-based attorney, Jason Miller, said his client was bleeding profusely from his head and ear after the police attacked him, and photographic evidence shows the full extent of Gibson’s injuries.
Miller said an officer suffered scratches to his elbow, which prompted them to file the resisting arrest charge against Gibson, but added that the arrest report grossly overstates Gibson’s behavior as a threat to the officers.
Court records filed by Miller state that he has not been able to “fully form” his defense of Gibson, whose jury trial is set for July 7, because the NPPD has yet to provide all the documents requested by Miller and his law firm.
Miller, a former prosecutor, said he respects the job of law enforcement, but said the NPPD “picked a fight” with a mentally unstable man instead of helping him.
“There was no indication he swung on an officer or had any aggressive behavior toward them,” Miller said. “Their (the police) behavior was counterproductive. He needed help and didn’t get it.”
An incident report from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office shows that Gibson again had an episode and threatened suicide on Jan. 5 at Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota.
A deputy caught up to Gibson a short time later on Clark Road and walked with him, calming him down, the report states. The deputy told Gibson they were going to Baker Act him, and Gibson said he was going to resist. The deputy continued speaking with Gibson and they agreed that if he wanted to resist, all he had to do was lay down on the ground while the deputy cuffed him, which he did. The report states that Gibson was transported to Coastal Behavioral Healthcare, a mental health facility, without incident.
The contrast between the two run-ins with law enforcement, and how they handled her mentally unstable son, are alarming for Stephanie. As she now waits for the criminal proceedings to play out, she said Gibson is more stable now, having received treatment.
But she said she’ll think twice about ever calling the NPPD again as the incident has left her trust in law enforcement shaken.
“The guy in blue, he’s supposed to be one of the good guys,” she said.

Man files brutality complaint against NPPD
By DREW WINCHESTER
STAFF WRITER
NORTH PORT — City police were alerted in mid-December last year that Joe Gibson had threatened to kill himself and then wandered naked into the woods off Interstate 75. After a long search he eventually turned up, on his own, at his mother’s house on Napolean Road.
He had calmed down, but another bout of mania struck and his mother called police back to her home to have him taken into custody through the Baker Act so he could get help.
Instead of taking Gibson to a mental health facility for 72 hours of treatment, as outlined by the Baker Act, North Port police would eventually arrest Gibson and charge him with a felony count of resisting arrest, after they say he physically lashed out at them.
A report from Gibson’s arrest on Dec. 15 states that the 30-year-old had conducted a “physical barrage” on the three officers who responded to the scene, but Gibson’s mother Stephanie said that instead of helping her son, the officers physically assaulted him.
The report states that NPPD Officer Christopher Clark punched Gibson in the head three times, but Stephanie said they hit and Tasered her son so many times she couldn’t keep count of the blows.
Stephanie was stunned, she said, watching in horror while Gibson was pinned to the ground and his head was punched again and again.
“It was obvious he needed serious help, but there was no negotiation, no attempt to even talk to him,” she said.
Gibson has filed a written complaint with the NPPD where he admits that he was delusional at the time and was not cooperating with officers. But, he also writes that the officers had control of him once pinned to the ground so there was no need to strike him, but as they continued to do so he attempted to shield his head with his arms. Gibson also wrote that he was taken to jail without ever having been read his Miranda rights or being told he was charged with a crime.
“I believe the officers charged me to justify their violation of my civil rights and their excessive use of force,” Gibson wrote.
Assistant Police Chief Tony Sirianni said he could not comment on the written complaint and is currently having staff gather documents for his review. A full assessment may take several weeks, Sirianni wrote in an email.
Gibson’s Sarasota-based attorney, Jason Miller, said his client was bleeding profusely from his head and ear after the police attacked him, and photographic evidence shows the full extent of Gibson’s injuries.
Miller said an officer suffered scratches to his elbow, which prompted them to file the resisting arrest charge against Gibson, but added that the arrest report grossly overstates Gibson’s behavior as a threat to the officers.
Court records filed by Miller state that he has not been able to “fully form” his defense of Gibson, whose jury trial is set for July 7, because the NPPD has yet to provide all the documents requested by Miller and his law firm.
Miller, a former prosecutor, said he respects the job of law enforcement, but said the NPPD “picked a fight” with a mentally unstable man instead of helping him.
“There was no indication he swung on an officer or had any aggressive behavior toward them,” Miller said. “Their (the police) behavior was counterproductive. He needed help and didn’t get it.”
An incident report from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office shows that Gibson again had an episode and threatened suicide on Jan. 5 at Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota.
A deputy caught up to Gibson a short time later on Clark Road and walked with him, calming him down, the report states. The deputy told Gibson they were going to Baker Act him, and Gibson said he was going to resist. The deputy continued speaking with Gibson and they agreed that if he wanted to resist, all he had to do was lay down on the ground while the deputy cuffed him, which he did. The report states that Gibson was transported to Coastal Behavioral Healthcare, a mental health facility, without incident.
The contrast between the two run-ins with law enforcement, and how they handled her mentally unstable son, are alarming for Stephanie. As she now waits for the criminal proceedings to play out, she said Gibson is more stable now, having received treatment.
But she said she’ll think twice about ever calling the NPPD again as the incident has left her trust in law enforcement shaken.
“The guy in blue, he’s supposed to be one of the good guys,” she said.

I would love to hear the phone call Stephanie made to the police, but since you filed a complaint I am sure it will be part of the case file. Humm I wonder what she told the dispatcher? Could it be different than what she is saying now? I guess time will tell.

hmmmm $$$$$$$ is that what your looking for here Stephanie? :roll:

[Stephanie Gibson]

"Tragically, incidents such as this appear over and over again in the news. The scenario goes something like this: Police are called to assist with a person who is experiencing a mental health crisis. There is an escalation in tensions, perhaps the introduction of a real or imagined threat, and this leads to someone getting hurt, or worse, killed. And it's not always the person in crisis; sometimes it is the police officer."

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/10/opinion/p ... -shooting/

For some reason there is an high volume of Baker Act calls/mentally ill person calls in this city. It is actually out of control. How many times does someone get hurt injured or have force used against them, occasionally. You need to understand that an officer acts so he does not get hurt. you cannot judge by how many times officers are injured, you are losing the focus here and that still remain that the mentally ill are dangerous and unpredictable and prone to violent break outs. We can go back and forth on this all day until the end of time, but until you have to deal with the stranger that is mentally ill, acting irrational, violent, etc you cannot judge. your situation was so bad that you needed the intervention of Law Enforcement, officers came, they responded (not how you would like) but that is what happens at times. For the guy who dealt with about 100 mentally ill people and has not used force was lucky but also not very experienced. I am sorry just because you did 20 years when NP was a tiny town does not give you a wealth of knowledge or experience. You will find documentation on both sides of this issue. If you want more training fine, tell your city commissioners to raise taxes and fund the police department better. We are driving around in cars that the wheels are ready to fall off of. You have no idea what this profession is about, needs, or is responsible for. You only believe what you conjure up in your mind. If you think that the one encounter with that deputy speaks for every other encounter your son is going to have with the law you are mistaken. Judging from his irrational behavior as you described it will get worse, he will encounter other police/deputies and I assure you his behavior will be addressed as it is presented. I hope that does not happen but it is a fact of life for the mentally ill, the come off meds or the meds do not work properly and the mind goes pop. It is sad that it happens but again, it is not an officers job to get injured, killed, or disabled because someone does not want force to be used.

Just out of curiosity I have several questions I wish you would answer for me.

1. Are you a fulltime LEO? If so how long?
2. Have you had anykind of crisis intervention training above and beyond the basic LEO training course you had?
3. Do you hold and kind of degree or certificate in mental health studies? Or any other higher education that affords you the right or ability to diagnose what actions someone suffering mental health issues will eventualy degrade to.
4. Have you been injured by someone who was determind to be mentaly ill? That also gose for outside your job as an LEO. If so did it require medical treatment?
5. Are you one of the officers who responded to the Gibson complaint?

In actuality I should raise these questions with the other possible officers here who seem to fancy themselves as experts in the field of mental health issues.

What I do see in many (in fact most postings here) responses here is the attitude of " do not question the actions of NPPD police officers. We are not wrong."

The idea that they are biased in their opinions as they accuse Mrs.Gibson of being, has never entered their minds.

Seeing as how guest4556 likes to cry poor mouth Mrs. Gibson, I thought you might like to know that a third ($7,000,000) of last years Annual Payroll Budget for the entire City of North went to our department. Our departments total budget was close to $12,000,000. Here is the salary of each and every officer on our department.
http://northport-matters.com/from-ot...ries-for-2012/

Those salaries do not include monthly incentive pay, court pay, health, life insurance, uniforms and equipment. It also does not include those horrible cruisers that we get to take home and park in our driveways every day.

[Stephanie Gibson]

"What I do see in many (in fact most postings here) responses here is the attitude of " do not question the actions of NPPD police officers. We are not wrong."

Indeed, I seem to keep hearing the same but they can think it, they can say it, they can try to quash those that try to push back all they want.. but WRONG is WRONG. Irregardless of the outcome, I am not going anywhere.

Further, Im a bit surprised that more good officers do not stand up and push back against those that disrespect and tarnish the profession and reputations of what I hope it a large majority of public servant professionals. Afterall, too many good men and women are being lumped in with the fearful, brawny cowards who abuse their power against the defenseless, attempt to blame the victim or intimidate those that dare stand up and call them on it.

[Stephanie Gibson]

"Many police departments have put in place training for officers in how to deal with mentally ill people, teaching them to defuse potentially volatile situations and to treat people who suffer from psychiatric illnesses with respect. But officers can sometimes make a crisis worse, either out of fear or in a reflexive effort to control the situation and enforce compliance."

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/02/us/po ... .html?_r=0

"Many police departments have put in place training for officers in how to deal with mentally ill people, teaching them to defuse potentially volatile situations and to treat people who suffer from psychiatric illnesses with respect. But officers can sometimes make a crisis worse, either out of fear or in a reflexive effort to control the situation and enforce compliance."

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/02/us/po ... .html?_r=0

You are placing the blame in the wrong in the wrong direction, the government (state, federal) have cut funding for the mentally ill. They have left it up to law enforcement to deal with and that happens when there is crisis. That is when things get to where people cannot control the situation. You may not be going anywhere and that is fine, you need to remember that police are not social workers. We are here to stop the problem and move on, it is like a conveyor belt. That is the reality of it. I was not there that night nor will I condemn those that were because I was not there. I cannot say what I would have done because I was not presented with the situation. I do however find it hard to believe that every officer that was there , which was I think you said 3 or more are abusive and use too much force. if that were the case they would have been exposed already. I have a hunch that there is more to this story, only one side is out and it is through rose colored glasses. It is not an insult it is just how it always is. You can advocate all you want but it will do nothing to change the current state of affairs in government. i just hope when your son has another episode you can handle it because the if the police come and he is violent they are not going to allow it to get worse. The officers will do what they are trained to do and stop any threat presented to them. That is what the police do, I suggest getting the number of a 24 hours crisis center that can respond to help you the next time he loses control.

[Stephanie Gibson]

Setting my Dec 15th incident aside, as it will work through the process, it will be sorted out. In the meantime, I am trying to look forward to find better ways.

I am not blaming police. I agree the system is broken.. this forum was to discuss how to fix it. I don't have the answers, I am looking for constructive suggestions. I don't buy that things cannot be changed. We the people, are the government and as such we can change things. While CIT training and body cameras seem to be the general suggestions to protect both sides in the research I have done thus far, it doesn't really change the responsibility falling to Law Enforcement.

AS for any future episodes, my understanding is that calling the police if the process. If it were to happen in my home, it would certainly be recorded.

Are you aware of a crisis center that responds to such incidents in North Port? If so, I would greatly appreciate you sharing any numbers.

I do however find it hard to believe that every officer that was there , which was I think you said 3 or more are abusive and use too much force. if that were the case they would have been exposed already.

Oh, my god! We are supposed to beleive you work on our department when you make a stupid statement like that?
What about the supposed accidental discharge of a service firearm and one of our squad cars? Was that ever exposed? :shock: :shock: :shock:

It took two of our officers being arrested on felony charges to finaly expose the shit that goes on here.