Legislators in several states are proposing laws that would require more police training in dealing with people in mental distress after some high profile deaths. Proposals in places like California, New York, and Utah rely heavily on additional officer training or standards updates. But none of the laws seem to answer the basic question: whether the police should be the one to respond when someone is mentally ill. A 2015 report found that people with untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed in a police operation than others. A law enforcement expert says training in mental health response hasn’t changed in over 25 years and needs updating.
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