Officer Mental Health

This opinion is in reference to the Oct. 20 commentary, “Asking the Tough Question.” First, I would like to thank San Diego Sheriff Jim Roache for continuing the dialogue on the extremely important issue of police officer mental health. I also thank The Times for not letting this issue die in the fast-changing news of today.

In my opinion, the “experts” quoted, though no doubt qualified, have one thing in common. These experts are either police officers or employees of a police agency. To me this is merely another display of the fox guarding the hen house. Had there been at least one “expert” interviewed whose livelihood did not depend upon the good-old-boy club, then these so-called tough questions might have been answered.

Once again, the same old rhetoric prevails. By trying to equate the position of police officer with jobs in private industry, the issue is sidestepped. Nowhere in private industry are the consequences of employee mental problems so potentially fatal to the ordinary citizen. The job is simply unique and needs unique solutions.

I do agree that periodical psychological testing could not be 100% effective. The alternatives given by these experts, however, give little hope of anything constructive happening at all. Two of the three experts interviewed stated that psychological testing should take place only with good reason. The horse got out, let’s lock the barn now. So we wait until someone is needlessly killed, or beaten, to act? Another solution was peer review. The existing code of silence among these men and women would make peer review virtually impossible. Therefore, the only sensible recourse at this time seems to be periodical post-hiring psychological testing.

Over the long run, the problem can only be solved when police officers become part of the community. The reason police agencies fear civilian review is they don’t feel they are a part of where they work. There is no room for the “them-or-us” mentality, in this or any community. Until we have a competent civilian review of all police officers and policies there will be no progress in this most dangerous problem facing police officer and citizen alike.

We need desperately to have on the job: honest, well trained, well cared for members of the community who also happen to be police officers. Then and only then can we expect to address the major law enforcement problems we face.

D.L. FLETCHER, Solana Beach