Scranton's police chief said the department will make changes in the wake of the shooting of a mentally ill woman by officers.
Three of the four Scranton police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Brenda Williams were back on the beat Tuesday, one day after the Lacakwanna County District Attorney cleared them of any wrongdoing.
Williams was shot and killed on May 28 inside her apartment on North Lincoln Avenue in Scranton. A state police report shows that Williams, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, lunged at officers with a knife.
Chief David Elliott told Newswatch 16 that his officers don't get a lot of training on how to deal with situations involving the mentally ill. He says that will change in light of Williams' death.
"Whenever you have to take someone's life, even though it's part of your job, it's not something you anticipate doing," Elliott said. "People go through careers without ever firing their weapon, never mind taking someone's life. It's very difficult on them. There's a lot of stress involved."
Chief Elliott feels confident that his officers reacted the right way when they fired their guns at Williams. He said it was the fourth time that week that police were called to her apartment, and all calls turned into mental health issues. Each time, a different officer handled the call.
"We're not out there to diagnose or treat anyone with any type of mental illness," says Chief Elliott. "We're there to react to their behaviors and to recognize any kind of symptoms of being mentally ill, so we know how to handle the situation."
Chief Elliott said Brenda Williams' death will change the way Scranton police handle mental health issues.
"We are actively pursuing any kind of training that deals on the law enforcement end of dealing with the mentally ill and people with special needs," says Elliott.
Scranton's police chief said that, in the last three years, officers have responded to 673 mental health calls. That's less than one percent of all the police calls they receive each year.
Three of the four Scranton police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Brenda Williams were back on the beat Tuesday, one day after the Lacakwanna County District Attorney cleared them of any wrongdoing.
Williams was shot and killed on May 28 inside her apartment on North Lincoln Avenue in Scranton. A state police report shows that Williams, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, lunged at officers with a knife.
Chief David Elliott told Newswatch 16 that his officers don't get a lot of training on how to deal with situations involving the mentally ill. He says that will change in light of Williams' death.
"Whenever you have to take someone's life, even though it's part of your job, it's not something you anticipate doing," Elliott said. "People go through careers without ever firing their weapon, never mind taking someone's life. It's very difficult on them. There's a lot of stress involved."
Chief Elliott feels confident that his officers reacted the right way when they fired their guns at Williams. He said it was the fourth time that week that police were called to her apartment, and all calls turned into mental health issues. Each time, a different officer handled the call.
"We're not out there to diagnose or treat anyone with any type of mental illness," says Chief Elliott. "We're there to react to their behaviors and to recognize any kind of symptoms of being mentally ill, so we know how to handle the situation."
Chief Elliott said Brenda Williams' death will change the way Scranton police handle mental health issues.
"We are actively pursuing any kind of training that deals on the law enforcement end of dealing with the mentally ill and people with special needs," says Elliott.
Scranton's police chief said that, in the last three years, officers have responded to 673 mental health calls. That's less than one percent of all the police calls they receive each year.
