ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE PENDING AN INVESTIGATION ONLY ON WORLD NEWS.
THERE IS A SPECIAL SIMULATOR
THAT CAN HELP OFFICERS LEARN
REAL LIFE SKILLS SO THAT THEY
CAN SAVE LIVES ON SOMEONE'S
WORST DAY.
IT'S VIRTUAL REALITY THAT IT
SURE DOESN'T FEEL LIKE IT WHEN
YOU'RE INSIDE IT AS TEAM
CHARLES MICHAEL DOURNESS SHOWS
US, SITUATIONS CAN CHANGE IN A
SPLIT SECOND.
OFTENTIMES WHICH CAN MEAN THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND
DEATH.
IT'S BEEN SIX YEARS SINCE THE
DEATH OF MICHELLE COUSO, SIX
YEARS SINCE MICHELLE RUSSO'S
MOTHER ASKED OFFICERS TO HELP
HER MENTALLY ILL DAUGHTER
DEPRESSION, BIPOLAR AND
SCHIZOPHRENIA.
BUT INSTEAD COUSO WAS KILLED
AFTER SHE ALLEGEDLY CAME AT
PHOENIX OFFICERS WITH A HAMMER,
A PERSON WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS
.
YOU KNOW, YOU KIND OF PREPARED
THAT YOU DON'T COME WITH GUNS
DRAWN GUNS AT HER DOOR.
CUSACK'S DEATH SHED A SPOTLIGHT
ON HOW OFFICERS RESPOND TO
MENTAL HEALTH CALLS SPARKING
CHANGES ON TRAINING TO BETTER
HANDLE THESE SITUATIONS.
THE VOLUME OF THOSE TYPES
OF CALLS THAT WE'VE GOTTEN HAVE
EXPONENTIALLY INCREASED SO HOW
ARE OFFICERS PREPARING AND
GOING CRAZY TO HANDLE THE
GROWING NUMBER OF CASES?
MORE TRAINING, A LOT MORE
TRAINING.
OFFICER GLENDOWER IS WITH
GLENDALE PD HELPING RUN THEIR
VIRTUAL TRAINING FACILITY LETS
US REENACT THINGS THAT THEY'LL
PROBABLY DEAL WITH ON THE
STREET BUT IN A SAFE
ENVIRONMENT INCLUDING MENTAL
HEALTH SCENARIOS EVERY YEAR WE
WE TOUCH ON IT EVERY YEAR THEY
GO THROUGH THIS JUDGMENT
SIMULATOR SO WE DECIDED TO GIVE
IT A TRY PULL THE TRIGGERS.
YOU CAN FEEL IT.
THAT'S IT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS
GOING ON INSIDE IT OFFICERS HAD
ABOUT A MILLION THINGS AT ONCE.
WE WENT THROUGH THE USE
OF FORCE GUIDELINES BEFORE I
WAS THROWN IN FACING FOUR
DIFFERENT MENTAL HEALTH
SCENARIOS.
HEY THERE MICHAEL KIRBY.
YOU HEARD WHAT I SAID.
YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE NOT
LISTENING TO WHAT HITS YOU IS
THE SPEED HOW THINGS CAN GO
WRONG FAST.
SIR, WHAT'S GOING ON TODAY?
HEAR ME NOW I'M NOT GOING TO DO
THAT, SIR.
SEE, I TOLD MYSELF I WOULD
NEVER PULL MY GUN, THAT I WOULD
BE ABLE TO WORK SOMETHING OUT.
I KNOW YOU DID THAT YOU GO HOME
YOUR WIFE AGAIN.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT SIR?
I'M GOING TO SAY WHAT GOES ON
WITH HER LIFE BEGINS THE ENTIRE
SCENARIO TOOK 45 SECONDS.
I FIRST TRY WAS A FAILURE.
I DIDN'T JUST FAIL TO HELP.
I WAS SHOT.
THERE WERE DIFFERENT PARTS.
THAT'S THE OTHER THING WE TRY
TO TRY TO GET OUR OFFICERS TO
DO IS NOT REPEAT THEMSELVES.
OFFICERS DEBRIEF AFTER EVERY
SCENARIO WHAT WENT RIGHT AND
WHAT WENT WRONG TO FIGURE OUT
HOW TO DEVELOP A RAPPORT WITH
THEM.
IS THAT YOUR VAN?
IS THAT WHERE YOU LIVE RIGHT
NOW?
DO YOU NEED RESOURCES?
DO YOU NEED HELP?
EACH TRAINING A DIFFERENT
CHALLENGE.
ARE YOU EATING LUNCH TODAY?
WHAT'S GOING ON, MAN DEALING
WITH DIFFERENT REALITIES.
THIS IS MY HOUSE AND I AM NOT
MEETING AND HE'S NOT HERE TO
SEE WHERE ALL I UNDERSTAND SIR.
I GOT TO TRY TO SEE WHAT IS IT
WHAT IS THE ROOT OF A PROBLEM.
ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT.
ALL RIGHT, FINE.
LEAVE YOUR MIND JUST RACIST
TRYING TO CONNECT WITH SOMEONE
WHO MAY NOT BE THINKING CLEARLY
SERIOUS BUT YOU GET ME HERE AND
WITH THESE SIMULATION THINGS I
COULD NEVER SEEM TO MAKE THAT
CONNECTION TWICE I PULLED OUT A
TASER.
COME ON, SIR, CALM DOWN.
CALM DOWN.
I WILL TASER.
THANKFULLY THOSE SITUATIONS
ENDED WITH JUST THOSE THREATS.
BUT THE FINAL SCENARIO I GUESS
I'LL DEALING WITH A SUICIDAL
MAN LET ME DIE.
NO, I.
I COULD NOT CALM HIM DOWN
BEFORE HE WENT AFTER A
BYSTANDER, SIR.
NO SIR.
THERE ARE THOSE INSTANCES WHERE
NO MATTER WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY,
MAYBE THAT PERSON JUST DOESN'T
WANT TO HEAR THAT THE MOST
DEPARTMENTS HAVE SOME KIND
OF TRAINING TO RESPOND TO
MENTAL HEALTH CASES THOUGH WHAT
AND HOW MUCH VARIES BY THE
AGENCY JUST THAT COMPETITIONS
ARE GOING THROUGH IT.
BUT MAYBE THIS IS PART
OF MICHELLE CRUSOE'S LEGACY
MORE PATIENCE, MORE COMPASSION
AND MORERAINING.
MICHAEL DOUGHTON, TOUGH NEWS,
SUCH INTERESTING INSIGHT THERE
AND YOU CAN