Body camera footage shows officer responding to mental health crisis

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Footage from an El Paso Police Department sergeant’s body camera shows the department’s Crisis Intervention Team in action and shows how they use the de-escalation process to respond to a person experiencing a mental health crisis.

According to an court document, on Feb. 8, El Paso Police officers responded to a verbal family violence call at an apartment complex on the 4500 block of Hercules Avenue in Northeast El Paso.

En route, dispatch notified officers the suspect was an active gang member with three warrants out for his arrest. According to the incident report, officers encountered the male suspect who ran from authorities before stopping and pointing a loaded gun to his temple. The suspect began to cry and shouted, “I just want to die” and asked to say goodbye to his dog.

At the scene, the Crisis Intervention Team officer slowly approached the man without a weapon. He began to calm the suspect down and told him he just wanted to talk. After nearly three minutes, the individual put his weapon down before being placed in handcuffs.

The Crisis Intervention Team was established in 2019 and trains officers on how to respond to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.

EPPD partnered with Emergence Health Network to develop the teams which consist of specially trained officers and EHN’s trained mental health professionals.

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