Oklahoma City police are investigating an officer’s handling of a woman experiencing a mental health crisis during an incident on June 10, which escalated from a medical call to an arrest. Bodycam footage captured the interaction, with the officer using force and making comments that have been described as ‘highly troubling’ by the Oklahoma County Public Defender’s Office.

Incident Details

The 30-year-old woman was in a mental health crisis and was still wearing a psychiatric bracelet at the time of the incident. According to defense attorney Ed Blau, the officer’s first reaction should have been to recognize the woman’s mental health crisis and de-escalate the situation. Instead, the officer’s response was to use force, which Blau described as ‘completely inappropriate and completely outside the bounds of what these officers have been trained to do’.

The Oklahoma City Police Department’s mental health response guide, available on the city’s website, says that officers are trained to recognize signs of a mental health crisis and that de-escalation should be their first tool in such situations. The incident is under investigation, and the police department has declined to provide further details, citing the need to protect the integrity of the investigation.

Original reporting: Oklahoma City News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.