San Francisco Police Reforms Starting to Surface?

It took many heavy armed police vehicles, at least 15 non-lethal bean bag shots, at least four flash bang grenades, and a SWAT team to bring the situation under control, but as of 5:30p.m. he was still alive and was getting medical attention. Many police had either or both lethal or non-lethal weapons. They also had flash bangs and a sound producing device known as an LRAD or Long Range Acoustic Device. This scene backed up traffic, shut down many San Francisco public transportation routes and attracted a crowd. The man was allegedly in an altered state. An altered state is defined as “a state of mind that differs from the normal state of consciousness, typically one induced by drugs, hypnosis, or mental disorder.” In other words he could have been mentally ill. This is the type of response it took to safely bring in a man who could have been mentally ill, on drugs, or wanted to die via suicide by cop. Interim Police Chief Toney Chaplin on Wednesday evening credited that scene to the “Police Department’s new reforms, which focus on de-escalation techniques rather than using force.”