In August 2008, Teresa Sheehan, a mentally ill 56-year-old woman, was shot multiple times by San Francisco police officers. The police had been called to take her for an emergency psychiatric evaluation when she threatened a case worker, but the situation quickly escalated.
After Sheehan threatened the officers with a knife, they shot her five or six times, including in the hip and head. She survived but needed two hip replacement surgeries.
Sheehan sued the officers and the city for failing to take her mental health status into account during arrest. Her lawyers argue that Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires officers to “reasonably” modify arrest procedures when confronting people who have mental illness; San Francisco says the ADA does not apply to arrests, especially with public safety at stake.
On Monday, the US supreme court will hear oral arguments in the Sheehan case, to decide whether and how disabilities regulations apply to police policies and procedures during arrests.
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7 comments:
Why did it reach the Supreme Court at all?
It's a horrendous incident, for everyone involved, and I do empathize with her to a certain point. Mental illness is a terrible thing to live with, I'm sure.
But a knife attack by a nutcase is no less dangerous than by a sane person. She should be grateful to be alive, period.
Reasonably modify arrest procedures.
Does not apply to arrests especially with public lives at stake.
Now where is the public? At her home? This wasn't a crazed person on the street.
Dose not apply is right. Cops do what they want! The act is to broad for the ADA to assume.
What exactly can be done differently?
Once she's lunging with the knife, how do they stop her? And why wouldn't those same procedures be used on every attacker?
She wasn't killed, thankfully, but I just don't see how she could have been stopped without injury.
I sure hope they weren't actually trying to kill her.I wouldn't feel safe with those officers on the shooting range,unles I was in a bunker.
I don't know tasers? Special suits to wear during knives incidents like this? Christ they have dog suits ,bomb suits ,swat gear etc. The reality is that cops do not care. They have dangerous jobs but are to scared to have the job. To many pansy ass dorks have grown up and become cops. They were bitches then and still are now. Cops used to come from tough solid american stock. And the process of hiring cops is to political nowadays. Yes I am a cop hater. I hate what they've become. They don't protect no one but their selves. They serve the governments wallet. Ruin the lives of people who need help not jail. Allow fellow cops to commit crime and violate rights! You cops wanna know who a good cop is? Find one that will arrest his partner or turn in his crooked counterparts .
1:23 PM I hate to spill the beans but once the police had to be armed in order to enforce the laws they became the enemy of every civilian in this country. They exist only to enforce the laws written by people that view you as a money source. The more money they can legally steal from you, taxes, the more you are worth to them on the street, meaning free. The less you produce for them the less they really care about you or keeping you alive. But beyond all of this you better shut your mouth and step in line. Otherwise you get the end of the gun.
I got news for you. I have no problem blasting any cops life! That goes for any man that infringes on my rights , freedoms and safety. I hope local Leos know people like me are out there. Make them think twice. And I have cameras on my property and in my vehicles. I'll provide my own justification.
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