Police Train on Dealing With Mentally Disabled After Taser Incident

After officers chased a mentally disabled man, Anne Arundel County police are training to prevent future similar incidents.

The Capital Gazette reports Morris Tranen, president of the Partnership Development Group visited western district officers in Odenton Thursday to teach officers how to deal with the mentally disabled.

In August, police mistakenly chased and used a Taser on William "Boogie" Lawson Jr., a 48-year-old man in Edgewater. Police later apologized.

Tranen's nonprofit helps those with mental disabilities live independently through case management, psychiatric rehabilitation and a day program.

Tranen told the officers that speaking calmly and clearly helps, according to the Gazette report. Asked about how to tell if someone is mentally disabled, Tranen said someone may be talking to themselves or have self-inflicted wounds.

Police Capt. Herbert H. Hasenpusch advised officers to document where force has been used, but "if it’s a situation where the actions were precipitated by mental illness, versus a crime, it’s OK to reset, unarrest — whatever. Just document everything and do the right thing," he said, according to the paper.