An experimental study of police interactions with persons with mental illness using simulation technology

Abstract

Mass deinstitutionalization and repeated reports of the use of force during police responses to person(s) with mental illness (PMI) have resulted in public and political debates about police mistreatment of PMI and motivated requests for police reform. As police interactions with PMI continue to increase it is important to understand police decision making, how officers perceive and interact with PMI, and the role of policing during mental health crises. Research examining police records or police-civilian interactions in the field has produced mixed results in the rates of use of force during interactions with PMI. The current study used a laboratory experiment to control environmental variances in police interactions to add to the understanding of police useof- force during interactions with PMI. Study 1 compared perceptions of PMI between law enforcement students and university undergraduate students. Study 2 compared law enforcement students’ behaviour during a use-of-force scenario with either a PMI or healthy civilian, preceded by a dispatch report with or without information of the presence of mental health issues. Behaviours assessed include use-of-force choices, intervention response times, risk assessment, and communication tactics. The results of the studies found no significant differences between law enforcement and civilian students’ attitudes of mental health and the attitudes of law enforcement students did not influence their behaviour during the use-of-force scenarios. Use-of-force response times revealed that OC spray (i.e., pepper spray) use was delayed when interacting with the simulated PMI. While other intervention methods were rarely used, participants who used their pistol were not influenced by the mental health manipulations. Participants’ risk assessments and communication strategies were observed to vary between experimental conditions and in different contexts. Having prior information of mental health issues or responding to a PMI resulted in lower ratings of the risk of harm to others and situational factors, and higher ratings of risk to oneself. These results demonstrate that law enforcement students were not applying risk assessments equally across contexts as they are taught. These conditions also resulted in increased attempts to engage in conversation and to offer assistance. The results of this study demonstrate that law enforcement students had a tendency to wait longer before deciding to use force and used de-escalating communication when responding to a mental health crisis, while those who interacted with the healthy individual made more attempts to gain compliance and control using commands and earlier force. Overall, the students’ communication focused on police commands in all conditions and may indicate that more training on de-escalation is still needed. These results demonstrate a tendency towards de-escalation with PMI, particularly in use-of-force responses, as well as how law enforcement students are applying their training and the gaps that may still be present during interactions with PMI.