May 29, 2024
Today, our Civil Rights Division filed a federal lawsuit to seek justice for the egregious actions of a Metropolitan Police Department officer that resulted in the unlawful arrest of a father who simply called 911 to seek assistance for his teenage daughter’s mental health crisis. Rather than provide the requested support, the complaint alleges that the police officer wrongfully accused the father of assaulting his daughter, willfully ignoring the clear and objective evidence to the contrary. Despite the history of prior 911 calls made by the father, the responding officer failed to perform the proper due diligence at the scene, which at a minimum, should have consisted of reviewing the police records, interviewing the mother, and accounting for the clearly visible injuries that the father had sustained in trying to prevent his daughter from harming herself.
This case underscores the critical need for police departments to provide routine and comprehensive training to officers on responding to situations involving mental health crises. Failing to provide such training reflects a deliberate indifference to the constitutional rights of those involved in such situations.
Read the full press release at: https://www.jdhowlettelaw.com/press-releases/justly-prudent-files-federal-lawsuit-against-dc-metropolitan-police-department-for-failure-to-train-officer-on-responding-to-situations-involving-mental-health-crises
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