[Public Health Service] [The Louisiana Association for Mental Health/The National Institute of Mental Health] [Booked for Safekeeping] [The Police are often called upon to deal with people who are mentally disturbed.] [Radio operator speaking in the background.] [To help them the Louisiana Association for Mental Health, with the generous assistance of the New Orleans Police Department, has produced this training film.] [Ill Woman:] No! Help! No! [Narrator:] A great many people with whom the average policeman must cope are mentally disturbed. A few of these become violent. It's fortunate when the police can call on skilled psychiatric attendants for help. However, most of the time the police must deal with the mentally disturbed on their own. The vast majority of mentally disturbed people are not violent. They are borderline cases who will continue to live outside institutions. Many are old people whose bodily ills are affecting their minds. [Fanny:] No, I don't want to. [Deli owner:] Somebody has got to do something. That's the third time this week. [Fanny:] But I bought them bananas for my children. [Police officer:] Step aside, we'll take care of this lady. What's the trouble, Fanny? [Fanny:] I want those bananas, to fry for my children, to bring them home and I can't do it. [Police Officer:] Well listen uhh, we'll take care of that, uhh. Don't you want to show us some pictures of your children? [Fanny:] Wait, I have it in my purse. [Police officer:] Well, come on, you can show it to us. [Fanny:] If you find anything then you'll see my husband. [Narrator:] They can be handled best at times like this by the policeman who has made their acquaintance on his daily rounds. The mentally retarded are seldom violent. The police problem here is to keep the boy from being teased or misled into serious crime. The officer who is aware of the neighborhood situation and knows the boy's family is in a better position to head off real trouble. [Mother:] He's thirteen now and I think he should have friends. There's the boys out there. I just don't know what to do, he's getting out of hand now. I just don't know. [A horn sounds.] [An officer leads a man out of the river.] [Narrator:] The would-be suicide is also suffering from some type of emotional disturbance. Once rescued, such persons are almost never difficult to handle, but they tend to be repeaters. Unless safeguards are taken the police may well have to rescue this man all over again tonight. The public seldom appreciates how risky and time-consuming these rescues can be. [Police officer:] One pack of wet cigarettes. Wilson gonna give you a receipt with uhh, for your money. We'll let you use the phone. You don't wanna use the phone? I'll let your folks know that you're in here then. [Narrator:] Where laws permit, a person who has attempted suicide should be held until medical help can be found. Belts, shoelaces, or clothes he might use in a newattempt to kill himself are, of course, removed. [Police officer:] Just go right on in. Everything is going to be all right. [Narrator:] It's important that he be put in a cell by himself. [Police Officer:] Want a cigarette? Let me give you a light. [Narrator:] He should be allowed to smoke, but given no matches. Few precinct stations have special isolation cells. In this one the toilet bowl, wash basin, and bunk are all possible sources of danger if the prisoner should make another attempt on his life. So the turnkey is put where he can be watched more or less constantly. [Voice on intercom calls jail out cell numbers that are under observation.] [Police officer:] The boy is perfectly all right. Joe, Miss Chandler bought some cloths for her boy in the back. [Joe:] He can't have this tie. You must take it back home. [Police Officer:] That's why I say the best thing to do is leave the boy in here. Don't bail him out. Let him stay here until we can have a doctor look at him. [Father:] Yes I know that uh, it's not the first time. [Police Officer:] That's what I mean, we've handled him twice in this precinct already. In here he can't hurt anybody and he can't hurt himself. We'll let a doctor look at him in the morning. In the meantime, if you all can get an ambulance from one of the psychiatric hospitals and take him to the hospital, we'll be glad to release him to ya. But he'll be better off here until you can do that. [Father:] Thank you, lieutenant. [Police officer:] That's all right, sir. [Narrator:] Once again, taking time to talk with the family is good police work. [Radio operator:] Time is 8:14 [?] Item 101. Car 10. [Police officer:] Car 10. [Radio operator:] Car 10, investigate a disturbance at 5002 Diamond Street. [Narrator:] Most reports of trouble come to the police without any suggestion that a mental patient might be involved. They must be prepared for anything. [Woman:] Officer there's a man next to me, in my apart.. next to my apartment, who is cussing and swearing something awful. [Police officer:] Don't worry, we'll take care of it, ma'am. [The tenants try to speak to officers as they enter.] What's the trouble up there? [Tenant:] I don't know officer, them people been raising hell up there all night. [Police officer:] Who's up there? [Tenant:] The only one that I know is Paul Horace and his wife. [Police officer:] Any fire escapes or stairways fromthe apartment? [Tenant:] The only one you see is right up there in front of you. [Police Officer:] All right, if you could move all ofthese people out of the stairway in case we have to come out fast. [Tenant:] All right officer. All right folks, let's move down. [Mr. Horace shouts something as the officers approach his door.]