SERGEANT LOUIS ARMIJO IS
STARTING TO LOSE
TRACK...
...How many times have
I, we arrested you out
of Del Taco? About 3 or
4. You kidnapped me.
3 or 4. How many out of
the Circle K? At least 2
or 3. Now it )s gonna be
the Speedway...
THIS IS AUGUST...
...You )re under arrest
for criminal trespass,
okay?...
SEPTEMBER...
...You )re under arrest.
You )re under arrest.
You )re not supposed to
be here...
OCTOBER...
...I served you with a
trespass notification on
Tuesday and :22
"2019-10-04 -1429 Brian
Johnson" -
wide angle I made it
clear to you that you
were not to be here,
okay? So go ahead and
stand up... IT MUST FEEL
LIKE A BAD CASE OF DEJA
VU.
...You )re under arrest.
You )re under arrest for
criminal trespass...
WE COMBED THROUGH COURT
RECORDS AND FOUND --
OFFICERS
HAVE ARRESTED
OR CITED PIERRE WILLIAMS
MORE THAN 50 TIMES IN
THE LAST TWO YEARS, FOR
CRIMINAL TRESPASSING AT
A HANDFUL OF
RESTAURANTS....
CONVENIENCE STORES
AND HOTELS NEAR COORS
AND I-40.
...NATS car, i-40...
OUR CAMERA SPOTTED HIM
TOO.
POLICE SEE HIM UP TO
FIVE OR SIX TIMES, IN
BUSY MONTHS. YET EVERY
CASE IS
...stamp nats...
DISMISSED... AND THE
POLICE CALLS
...phone ringing...
COME ROLLING IN AGAIN.
...Lysee Mitri "Police
are responding to
(disturbances... like
the time a clerk here
id lliams
threw gatorade on an
elderly customer and
then threatened to rape
the employee. But
Williams (knows, he
nevers stays behind bars
for long."...
...I )m always in court.
I )m always in court. It
always that I )m...
found, you know,
innocent. For real.
You )re not found
innocent.
I )m never found guilty.
It )s not )cause of
innocence or guilt. And
if you think that )s a
free card to keep you
from going to jail,
you )re wrong...
THE COURT NEVER DECIDES
IF WILLIAMS
IS GUILTY OR NOT...
BECAUSE HE )S FOUND
INCOMPETENT TO
STAND TRIAL INSTEAD.
AND BECAUSE HE )S ACCUSED
OF NONVIOLENT CRIMES,
AND THE
COURTS DON )T CONSIDER
HIM DANGEROUS... (EVERY
CASE IS DISMISSED...
HE )S RELEASED... AND THE
CYCLE
CONTINUES.
...Lt. Matt Dietzel "And
so those cases you feel
like you )ve pretty much
failed."...
BECAUSE, OF COURSE,
WILLIAMS IS NOT THE
(ONLY CASE LIKE THIS --
WHERE
COMPETENCY OR CONCERNS
OVER BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
ISSUES COME INTO
PLAY.
WE TALKED ABOUT IT WITH
LIEUTENANT MATT DIETZEL,
WITH THE
ALBUQUERQUE POLICE
DEPARTMENT )S CRISIS
INTERVENTION TEAM.
...Lysee: So, is there a
better way to handle
these kinds of cases?
3:05
It )s really hard. It )s a
question that everybody
struggles with 3:09
LIEUTENANT DIETZEL SAYS
THE DEPARTMENT IS
GETTING MORE CREATIVE IN
THOSE CASES.
HE POINTED TO THE
EXPANSION OF THE LAW
ENFORCEMENT ASSISTED
DIVERSION, OR LEAD,
PROGRAM.
...Lt. Matt Dietzel
"It )s just one more tool
that we have. You know
in the old days it was,
you really had two
options: make an arrest
or do nothing. So
anything we can do to
kind of get in between
those two
extremes is a good
thing"...
LEAD ALLOWS OFFICERS
WITH A- P-D )S PROBLEM
RESPONSE TEAMS TO DECIDE
WHEN TO SEND LOW-LEVEL,
(NON-VIOLENT OFFENDERS
INTO
(TREATMENT, INSTEAD OF
JAIL.
THE HOPE IS, IT WILL GET
AT THE HEART OF THE
ISSUE -- IF DRUG ABUSE,
MENTAL ILLNESS OR
HOMELESSNESS -- IS
REALLY THE DRIVING FORCE
BEHIND THE
CRIME IN THE FIRST
PLACE.
...Lt. Matt Dietzel "The
offender would have to
stick with it and if
they don )t stick with
it, those charges come
back and we )re back in
the criminal justice
system"...
WHILE THAT )S A VOLUNTARY
TREATMENT PROGRAM... THE
CITY AND
THE BERNALILLO COUNTY
DISTRICT COURT ALSO
LAUNCHED AN
(INVOLUNTARY,
ASSISTED OUTPATIENT
TREATMENT PROGRAM -- OR
A- O-T -- IN OCTOBER
CALLED NEW DIRECTIONS.
LISA SCHATZ-VANCE IS THE
PROGRAM MANAGER.
...Lisa Schatz-Vance,
AOT Program Manager at
District Court "Ideally,
we want to be able to
utilize AOT as a
tool for individuals...
um... before they find
themselves in a
situation of self-harm
or harming of others or
picking
up criminal charges"...
SO, HERE )S HOW IT WORKS.
WHEN SOMEONE WILL NOT
GET HELP FOR A MENTAL
HEALTH
DIAGNOSIS ON THEIR
OWN... AND IS ENDING UP
IN JAIL OR THE HOSPITAL
AS A RESULT -- A
ROOMMATE... FAMILY
MEMBER... OR QUALIFIED
PROFESSIONAL CAN TAKE
ACTION. THEY CAN ASK A
CIVIL COURT JUDGE TO
(ORDER THAT PERSON
INTO THE YEAR-LONG
TREATMENT
PROGRAM...WHICH CAN
INCLUDE THINGS
LIKE
CASE MANAGEMENT
SERVICES... THERAPY AND
MEDICATION.
IT AIMS TO (REDUCE
HOSPITALIZATION...
INCARCERATION... AND
HOMELESSNESS
-- WHILE (IMPROVING THE
LIVES OF PEOPLE
SUFFERING FROM SERIOUS
MENTAL ILLNESSES.
...Lisa Schatz-Vance,
AOT Program Manager at
District Court "For our
first year of operation,
we are projected to
serve approximately 100
individuals"...
THIS HAS BEEN A
LONG-TIME COMING.
THE LAW THAT PAVED THE
WAY FOR PROGRAMS LIKE
THESE IN NEW
MEXICO... PASSED BACK IN
20-16.
BUT ALBUQUERQUE JUST GOT
A FEDERAL GRANT TO FUND
THE PROGRAM HERE ABOUT A
YEAR AGO...
DONA ANA COUNTY HAS HAD
ITS OWN PROGRAM FOR
THREE YEARS
NOW, AND SAYS... IT
WORKS.
THEY SENT US
TESTIMONIALS LIKE THIS:
...Michelle Ortegon,
Participant "They )ve
made me confident that I
can accomplish anything
I need
to and I )ve got contact
with all of my children
now. I )m just, I )m
stable"... BUT HAVING
TREATMENT PROGRAMS
(AVAILABLE IS ONLY HALF
THE BATTLE.
MENTAL HEALTH DEFENSE
ATTORNEY MAX KAUFFMAN,
POINTS OUT THE NEED FOR
COMMUNICATION AND
COLLABORATION BETWEEN
AGENCIES LIKE THE PUBLIC
DEFENDER )S OFFICE... THE
DISTRICT ATTORNEY )S
OFFICE... POLICE AND THE
JAIL... WITH TREATMENT
PROVIDERS TO MAKE SURE
PEOPLE IN NEED ARE
IDENTIFIED EARLY... AND
ACTUALLY GET (CONNECTED
TO AVAILABLE
SERVICES.
...Max Kauffman "One of
the fundamental issues
that we see in
Albuquerque is that
there )s no coordination
between all these
parties. So we )re doing
duplicating efforts or
we )re not... adressing
the needs when they need
to be addressed and so
people are falling
through the cracks"...
BUT HE )S HOPEFUL THE
WORK OF A LOCAL CRIMINAL
JUSTICE COUNCIL IS
CHANGING THAT.
...Max Kauffman "It
feels that there )s hope
on the horizon for many
individuals suffering
mental
illness in this
community"...
FOR MANY, BUT
FOR WILLIAMS... IT )S
STILL UNCLEAR.
...The papers I give
you, I expect you to
obey them.
I do!
No, you don )t. How many
times have I arrested
you for not obeying
them?... THE NUMBER
KEEPS CLIMBING.
HE WAS IN AND OUT OF
JAIL (AGAIN... AS
RECENTLY AS YESTERDAY.
ON SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT,
LYSEE MITRI, KRQE NEWS
13.
TOMORROW WE )LL SHOW YOU
WHAT THAT COUNCIL IS
DOING TO TRY TO IMPROVE
COMMUNICATION BETWEEN
DIFFERENT