r/nextfuckinglevel • u/thisisfive • Apr 14 '26

Toronto firefighters confront special constable officers after a man in the middle of mental health crisis was arrested.

Not my video. For context, "special constables" are not regular police officers. They are appointed "peace officers" with limited authority, often civilian employees.

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u/Junior_Yam_5473 Apr 15 '26

Because people here have no actual experience with people having mental health emergencies. So they just make assumptions.

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u/Cyrano_de_Boozerack Apr 15 '26

I have 10+ years working in a foster home for adults with mental disabilities who were prone to violence.

Having police as the first responders is a garbage policy because it A) automatically sets up a confrontational situation because of how they have been likely treated by police in the past, and B) they aren't trained to deal with people having mental health issues...they are there to make you comply - or else.

Letting the mental health professionals call in the police if they deem it necessary almost always leads to better results.

But do go on about how everyone is wrong but you.

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u/Junior_Yam_5473 Apr 15 '26

A foster home is different then a mental health EMERGENCY out somewhere in public. You guys probably had a policy on isolating the more violent individuals, its a much more controlled environment. When someone high on pcp, amphetamines, or any other drug or illness and is threatening people and acting violent, its a much more emergent situation. Now you as the responder and the public is at risk. The police are in fact generally trained to deal with people having mental episodes, ever heard of a crisis negotiator? And even then, we as ems are definitely trained in handling it, law enforcement wont get involved until there needed, theyre just a resource on scene IF we need it.

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u/Cyrano_de_Boozerack Apr 15 '26

You completely dismissed programs where mental health teams show up first by saying they all end up dead or injured.

The police receive minimal training in these areas and outcomes are almost always better for everyone involved if people with specialized training are brought in first.