Pat Deegan on Police Training to Handle Mentally Ill People
COOPER: We are taking a closer look tonight at how police officers decide whether to use deadly force specifically during encounters with people who either might be or known to be suffering from serious mental illness. The recent killing of a mentally ill Dallas man named Jason Harrison, really underscores the issue. He was shot and killed by police at home holding a screwdriver in front of his mother who'd called them for help getting him to the hospital. A police body cam captured what happened. Now, before showing it, we should warn you, the video is very graphic and obviously disturbing to watch. It all happens very quickly, but a highlight just how quickly a police call can turn deadly. And critics say how much more officers need to learn about the kinds of situation you're about to see.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello. What's going on?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How you doing, what's going on?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need to stop ...</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who's that?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bipolar, schizo.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's going on?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drop that for me.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jay!</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drop it!</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jay!</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drop it.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jay!</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drop it!</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jay! [shooting ] [EXPLETIVE DELETED]</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (screaming)</s>COOPER: Well, Jason Harrison suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. His mother had specifically requested officers who were trained to deal with the mentally ill answer his call. Now, the attorney for these officers tell us they did have that training. And they said the man lunged at them with the screwdriver. The victim's brother calls a video perfect example of what not to do. Well, tonight we are going to show you a novel way that some officers in certain forces around the country are learning to experience the world the way many schizo - people with schizophrenia do. Pat Deegan designed it, and you'll hear from her shortly, I'm going to interview her. She's a clinical psychologist who also happens to live with schizophrenia. Now, here's how it works. For three quarters of an hour, you listen to voices through headphones while trying to do everything from puzzles to simply interacting with people on the street. I tried it myself last summer when we first reported on it, and it's a fascinating experiment. Take a look.</s>COOPER: You are going to put these earphones. I try to do a series of tests. So now hearing some whispers and voices in my head and the first test is some number puzzles.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You suck and they know it. Did you get this right?</s>COOPER: OK. So I did this test for three minutes and I did not get a single one. It's very hard to concentrate when, if it's like music or something constant, it's easy but. People talking to you is very difficult. So now I'm going to be asked a series of questions by our producer who's in, and these are basically a series of questions that a person would be asked in, and they would be admitted to a hospital.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you tell me what day it is?</s>COOPER: Yeah. It's Sunday, June, I don't know, like, 7TH?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So I'm going to say five numbers and then I want you to repeat them after I'm done.</s>COOPER: OK.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Five, 23, 67, 2, 76.</s>COOPER: 5, 23, 67, something, 76.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to say five words. You don't have to repeat them. But just listen to them. Cat. Look. Cigar. Damage. And rain. Can you name the last four presidents of the United States?</s>COOPER: Barack Obama, George Bush. Bill Clinton. And George Bush.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Say these five words I said before. Can you remember any of them?</s>COOPER: No. It's hard when, because sometimes the voices are like whispering and sometimes they're aggressive and sometimes they're kind of comforting. And with people kind of talking to you all the time, it's -- it's hard.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's OK, don't worry.</s>COOPER: So, I'm going to try to make a boat origami following these instructions.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You'll be OK.