4 ms·

>Sometimes people call the police for help. Years before I met her, a friend of mine got out of control, and her family called the police (maybe her 'craziness'

by bspn 9y ago

>Sometimes people call the police for help. Years before I met her, a friend of mine got out of control, and her family called the police (maybe her 'craziness' was because she was starting to go through menopause). The police couldn't do anything but take this woman downtown. Her daughter protested, "THIS IS NOT WHY WE CALLED YOU", but the officers were like, "whatevers". If all you've got is a hammer, everything is a nail It sounds like she was having some sort of mental health episode - I wonder if it would have helped had the daughter requested an ambulance rather than the police? Where I live, whenever you call 911 for an in-home emergency the police are tasked to arrive first to make sure the residence is safe and then the paramedics and fire crews come in after. You're right about the hammer and nail, but by framing it as a medical emergency you can hopefully ensure the hammer is holstered when they arrive as they approach the incident as secondary support who will only intervene if there is real danger.

tcj_phx 9y ago
> It sounds like she was having some sort of mental health episode - I wonder if it would have helped had the daughter requested an ambulance rather than the police? The mental health system does a good job of making people's situations worse too. I think it's infinitely preferable to be locked up in jail than in a mental hospital. > but by framing it as a medical emergency you can hopefully ensure the hammer is holstered when they arrive as they approach the incident as secondary support who will only intervene if there is real danger. good point... When I called for the firefighters to come revive my girlfriend (benzodiazepines amplify opiates, fyi), the police were also dispatched. After the firefighters left, the police officers decided they didn't need to make things worse, and their crew disappeared into the night too. This did not happen the second time I called 911. This could also have been the difference between big-city police and small-town police...
- bspn 9y ago
  Yes, it sounds like the approaches may be slightly different. My wife has needed ambulance care on several occasions due to an ongoing medical issue, so I've got to know the teams pretty well and one of the cops told me that whenever a male calls an ambulance for a female in my county the 911 dispatcher is instructed to assume domestic violence is involved and send the police as the advance party. I think our house has been flagged as "safe" now, as even though the cops still turn up it feels like more of a tick-the-box exercise these days and they no longer come to the door with their hands on their holsters.

by bspn 9y ago

tcj_phx 9y ago

> It sounds like she was having some sort of mental health episode - I wonder if it would have helped had the daughter requested an ambulance rather than the police? The mental health system does a good job of making people's situations worse too. I think it's infinitely preferable to be locked up in jail than in a mental hospital. > but by framing it as a medical emergency you can hopefully ensure the hammer is holstered when they arrive as they approach the incident as secondary support who will only intervene if there is real danger. good point... When I called for the firefighters to come revive my girlfriend (benzodiazepines amplify opiates, fyi), the police were also dispatched. After the firefighters left, the police officers decided they didn't need to make things worse, and their crew disappeared into the night too. This did not happen the second time I called 911. This could also have been the difference between big-city police and small-town police...

bspn 9y ago
Yes, it sounds like the approaches may be slightly different. My wife has needed ambulance care on several occasions due to an ongoing medical issue, so I've got to know the teams pretty well and one of the cops told me that whenever a male calls an ambulance for a female in my county the 911 dispatcher is instructed to assume domestic violence is involved and send the police as the advance party. I think our house has been flagged as "safe" now, as even though the cops still turn up it feels like more of a tick-the-box exercise these days and they no longer come to the door with their hands on their holsters.