Officials train in ways to head off in-custody deaths
By Mary Schenk
Sunday June 15, 2008
Vanda Bidwell
From left, Urbana police Officer Preston James, Arrow Ambulance's Dave Kirby and John Savage, an employee of a private residential security company, hold down Champaign Officer Rich Carroll during training for new protocols on dealing with people who may be on drugs, mentally ill and/or susceptible to sudden death in a struggle with police.
Not too long ago, the following call might have made a 911 operator roll his or her eyes and maybe even chuckle: a naked man pounding on doors yelling incoherently.
Police dispatchers and officers in Champaign County now know those are the warning signs of a medical crisis, not necessarily a crime in progress.
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