Decision Making
Police Officers have to be effective decision makers. They are often put in situations where there is imperfect information, where action is required. It is important to work well with partners to make sure that you resolve situations effectively. That being said there will be times when you are confused and will require support and advice from someone who is more senior such as a road sergeant or detective. When to go for this advice is often a matter for debate.
Scenario:
Trevor and Kalpesh had both been on the job for only a couple of years but found themselves being paired up to work together quite frequently. They both enjoyed this, as they were both hard working young officers on a shift that had several more senior officers who in their opinion would often let things slide. One night the received a radio call to attend an apartment building. There was a woman walking around the halls carrying two candles. Both the police and the fire department were dispatched.
When Trevor and Kalpesh arrived, the fire department was just leaving the building. There was a woman in the hall holding two candles in the shape of crosses that had both been extinguished. The captain said as he passed jokingly that the fire had been put out. Trevor and Kalpesh approached the lady who said she was praying to god and cleansing the hallways of evil through a special blessing with the candles.
Trevor stepped aside for a couple of minutes and spoke on the phone while Kalpesh stayed with the lady. When Trevor returned, he informed the lady that she would be placed under arrest under the mental health act and taken to a psychiatrist for evaluation. I just spoke to the detective at the station and he advised me that is what we should do.
Kalpesh was basically shocked. He felt that the lady didn’t pose any threat to herself or others, that the fire department was obviously not that concerned about her actions, and if you were going to take her to a doctor for lighting candles and praying to her god, then perhaps they should swing by the nearest church. Is this arrest / action justified? What action would you take as Kalpesh? Is there anything that should be done next time?
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Sounds a little odd to me as well, but at the same time, a senior officer, who had probably dealth with ths type of situation many times, has asked us to have her verified.
My feeling is that she may be perfectly fine, but I can’t see any harm in getting an evaluation done. If she’s OK then great, she’ll be sent home and nobody gets hurt.
On the other hand, if she is mentally unstable, her next action could be dangerous.
However, leaving all that aside, since Kalpesh is confused as to why she should be taken in, then here is what I would do in his shoes.
First and foremost, I’d obey the order.Especially since there is no harm to anyone by following the order, even if it doesn’t make sense in my mind.
Second, I would have a talk with the detective in order to gain understanding. I’d ask the detective very politely… Detective, in this situation I feel there may be something I missed, that your years of experience may have picked up on. I see this as a learning opportunity for myself. Would you mind taking a few moments to explain how you made that decision ?
I think the key thing is to communicate that you are seeking to understand, and not judge.
When Kalpesh makes the rhetorical statement that if they’re detaining people for praying “perhaps they should swing by the nearest church.” he makes a straw-man argument. The issue isn’t that the woman is praying, it’s that she’s wandering around with lit candles in aid of a do-it-yourself exorcism. The behaviour is off kilter. If she was walking around, praying, but minus the lit candles, I would have no problem with it, as there would be no danger to her self and others.
Rob
I’d have to agree in part with the prior two posters. Kalpesh should follow out the order and questioning his superiors judgments by taking it up with another superior is just not good form and won’t gain Kalpesh many friends in the long run. As was mentioned he might approach the superior later and ask him to “mentor” him about the reason he made that call. My personal opinion leans towards not sending her for evaluation. There is no mention of her having a history of strange behaviour and until this is documented, or at least confirmed through neighbors etc. it’s seems a bit harsh to ship her off for eval. IF she was a threat to herself or others in what she was doing this would be a different story. Yes, while candles could start a fire I think this is a stretch if its used to say she’s a threat. At most, based on the information given, she’s a nuisance and causing a disturbance. Show her back to her suite, document it and call it a night. Next time it happens then for me there is a stronger case for assessment.
My biggest issue isn’t with the fact that she is being taken in or not, I see it more as a side issue.
The main issue here for me is Trevor stepping aside and calling the detective without first seeing what they (Trevor and Kalpesh) would do in this situation.
Either Trevor or Kalpesh could have taken the decision, or if Trevor wanted a second opinion, he could have seen what Kalpesh would do.
If both were not sure what they wanted to do, then move on the the next step, by calling the detective.
Yeah, I have to agree wtih ErZ. Going to call a detective about decisions that you should be able to make on the road might not be the best route to go. A detective isn’t going to have all of the information, and will often have to cover his or her but by making an extremely safe decision based on what he or she is being told, not what they could observe.
Front line officers should be able to determine whether someone poses a danger to themselves or others. In my opinion, a woman praying with candles wouldn’t warrant a trip to a doctor for a psychological assessment.