The Walnut Creek City Council is set to receive a report tonight outlining various steps the city’s police department has taken to improve response to police calls involving people having a mental illness-related episode.
Among the steps taken so far since the June 2019 shooting death by police of 23-year-old Miles Hall are plans for a 24-hour, 7-day social service crisis response involving the Contra Costa County’s Behavioral Health
Division, with participation from police departments in Walnut Creek, Concord, Martinez and Pleasant Hill.
Following Miles Hall’s death, a community group comprised of friends of the Hall family organized “Friends of Scott, Alexis and Taun Hall.” Members of that group have consistently kept the issue of Miles Hall’s killing in front of city officials and the public, speaking at every Walnut Creek City Council meeting since the June 2019 killing, organizing peaceful protests and, since July 2019, meeting regularly with a team of city leaders about improving response to police calls involving people having a mental illness-related episode.
In recent months, Walnut Creek police have acquired additional non-lethal options for response mental health-related calls for service, including 33 beanbag shotguns and innovative “bola wraps” that can tie up
suspects and immobilize them from a distance.
The Walnut Creek Police Department continues to invest in crisis intervention and mental health response training, a city report says, with an additional $100,000 included in the city’s 2020-2021 budget to further expand
training. The department is also hosting implicit bias training for its staff in December.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s investigation into the death of Miles Hall is not yet complete, and city officials are awaiting that report. The Walnut Creek Police Department’s internal review of the Miles Hall shooting has not yet been made public.
The Walnut Creek City Council meeting begins at 6 p.m., and is viewable on Zoom.
10 comments
This won’t even be considered anything other than a good start. It’s never enough.
The investigation is not complete yet because the district attorney is still trying to figure out how to pin it on the police.
I too would have protected myself if someone were approaching me with a pipe and bad intentions. This is all Monday-morning quarterbacking. It was a justified use of deadly force in my opinion.
The race of Miles Hall had nothing to do with it. Anyone who claims it was is a race-baiter and “race card” player.
I have no idea what race Miles Hall was…
Killings suck.
Mental health issues are complicated. Issues that need to be addressed one case at a time.
But the biggest issue I see for Walnut Creek is opportunists coming to the local grocery stores to prey on little old ladies, our Grammas.
I don’t want to see yet another store security camera video of visiting horrible women lurking in the grocery store aisle grabbing our Grammas’ purses.
I this guy was so threatening and dangerous that his family and neighbors had to call 911, then maybe he WAS dangerous. It’s a shame when mentally ill people stop taking their meds, but Liberals created a system where the mentally ill can choose not to take their medication. That’s simply unacceptable and insane.
But here is the larger issue. There is a narrative from the Left which says that you can assault, resist, approach with a weapon, etc…the police and remain perfectly safe. That simply is not true. And if we don’t turn back from this insanity, no one will apply to be a police officer except the people you really can’t depend on and you really need to be afraid of.
10/10
I’ll betcha, right about now is when they will be giving themselves a raise. Forgoing their COLA my aunt fanny. That is NOTHING.They get so many perks from here and there and around the City, it’s outrageous.
I have seen this happen before when things are really in the crapper, that’s when WC city council and the 3rd floor vote themselves a pay increase. Employees Association rules or not. They will let it happen. I have seen it before. It is a joke. WC people need to get RID of ALL those money grubbing City Council people and get all new people in there.
Stop calling the Police to step in because you cant handle your violent family member. What do they expect the Police to do?
To protect and serve? Lol
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