TAC/NSA Joint Report

"As a consequence of the failed mental illness treatment system, an increasing number of individuals with untreated serious mental illness are encountering law enforcement officers, sometimes with tragic results. “Justifiable homicides,” [arrest-related deaths (ARDs)] in which an individual is killed by a law enforcement officer in the line of duty, may occur when criminals are being pursued, as in a bank robbery, or when an officer is threatened with a weapon, in other situations" (p. 3). 

This report examines the available information about justifiable homicides and concludes with recommendations for addressing critical issues involving the transfer of responsibility for mentally ill individuals from mental health professionals to law enforcement personnel.