Barre police again dipped into their arsenal of 21 Tasers to zap a hot, depressed man whom a judge subsequently found not much of a bother to anyone.
The Times Argus reported that on Monday Barre officers were called to assist a man mental health workers said seemed distraught. Their assistance turned into what a lawyer later suggested was an assault on the man himself. One officer Tased him while another kept a gun on him.
Police had the Washington County State’s Attorney, Tom Kelly, charge the man with disorderly conduct. But Vermont District Court Judge Bran Grearson threw the charge out.
The man might have yelled, but disorderly conduct is “violent, threatening, or tumultuous behavior.” The judge determined none of that occurred.
If a disorderly conduct charge can’t stick in a situation where police draw a firearm and use an electronic weapon as a substitute for deadly force, one questions the response protocols the officers are using.
This is the second time this year Barre police have Tased someone exhibiting mental health problems. The appropriateness of Taser use was questioned in that case, too.
A review of police training records following the first incident showed that only a quarter of Barre’s officers had taken free training, offered by the Vermont Police Academy, that covers interactions with persons who may be facing mental health issues.
The mental health training is different from the training Barre officers are supposed to receive before they use the department’s Tasers. That training is carried out on the local level.
The mental health training was developed by a task force working out of the Vermont Attorney General’s Office following several tragic incidents involving police interactions with individuals with mental health problems.
Other departments in the area have had more officers trained through the AG’s special program. Over 80 percent of Montpelier’s officers are trained, for example.
Besides getting its officers trained, Barre may also want to explore what other police departments in the state have done — hire a mental health specialist to work with police when difficult situations involving persons with mental health problems arise. Bellows Falls has used this model for several years, and Burlington just made a similar appointment.