Nearly half of people killed by police in the United States have some form of mental or physical disability, according to a new study that highlights the excessive force often used by American police.
While police interactions with African Americans draw increasing scrutiny, disability and health considerations are still neglected in media coverage and law enforcement policy, according to a report published by the Boston-based Ruderman Family Foundation.
“Police have become the default responders to mental health calls,” write the authors, historian David Perry and disability expert Lawrence Carter-Long, who analyzed incidents from 2013 to 2015.
The report says police assume that “people with psychiatric disabilities” are “dangerous to themselves and others” and use brutal force to restrain them.
The study found that one in 10 of all police interactions involve people suffering from mental or physical illness.
The report notes that while coverage of…