Active Shooter Uvalde TX Elementary School

[LittleLebowski]

In the wake of all this, here's a local incident that points out some of the problems we have in prevention.

You will note that relatives had contacted the authorities and were told 'without evidence we can do nothing....' In this case I'm not sure if some of the problem might have been that the department is relatively young, with most of the veteran officers who could bailing shortly after a new chief was hired. It may very well be that an in-experienced officer or supervisor didn't understand everything they COULD do.

I've posted the article because I'm not sure it is available online unless you subscribe to the news.

Hutchinson resident accused of planning violent attack on co-workers at Dillons

Olivia Perkins

Hutchinson News USA TODAY NETWORK

Judy Murray watched from down the street on Wednesday as her grandson Andrew Patterson left his residence.

She quickly called her daughter, Patricia Woods.

Woods passed that information, as well as where Patterson was driving, along to Hutchinson Police Department authorities, who stopped and searched his car.

There, police say they found “detailed plans to carry out an act of mass violence.” Later that day, police utilized a search warrant at Patterson’s residence, where offi�cers said they found additional evidence related to a planned attack.

For months, family members had worried about the 24-year-old Hutchison resident’s mental health.

“He was a loner and didn’t know how to ask for help,” Murray said.

Family members said they reached out to authorities and mental health organizations as Patterson spiraled. Little could be done, however.

Murray and Woods knew they couldn’t sit idly by, especially once they became convinced others could be in danger. They acted.

Andrew Patterson’s writings included violent thoughts, self-harm

Murray and Woods, who is Patterson’s aunt, heard Patterson speak about his mental state, intrusive thoughts and anger toward his peers. His thoughts, they said, included acts of violence, aggression and self-harm. Murray spoke with her grandson often but saw what she called “his eventual spiral into aggressive ideas and despair” as she desperately tried to help him.

“He was just sinking, sinking deeper into this giant hole,” Murray said. “He started writing it in a notebook — these intrusive thoughts — because he told me when he writes it down, it makes him feel better.”

Patterson wrote thoughts of committing a crime to initiate a police response, Murray said. Eventually, he wrote about planning and perpetrating a mass shooting at his workplace — the Dillons Distribution Center on Fourth Avenue in Hutchinson.

Murray said she contacted the Hutchinson Police Department but said officers told her they couldn’t take action without evidence. Murray and Woods said they talked to law enforcement a few times.

The Hutchinson Police Department declined comment on the family’s claims.

Family turned to authorities in hopes of preventing tragedy

Murray said she then turned to local organizations for help.

“These thoughts would come back, so my daughter (Patterson’s mother) and I talked him into checking himself in at the (Hutchinson Regional Medical Center) and trying to get help from them,” Murray said. “He was there for about a week, and they gave him multiple diagnoses and medications, but none of it seemed to make any kind of dent.”

Murray said Patterson, with the help of his family, then turned to Horizons Mental Health Center. The organization had long waiting lists for patient care, but Patterson needed immediate help.

Horizons director of training and education Beth Akins said the wait time for ongoing patient care averages about six to eight weeks because of a staff shortage and an expansion of programs offered.

“There is no setup designated system to help someone who’s in the condition that my grandson is in,” Murray said.

Akins said Horizons recently added adult crisis and mobile crisis units to its roster of services after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services designated Horizons as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic.

Violent writings and suicidal thoughts increased, family says

Murray said Patterson worked in The Hutchinson News mailroom until March when he was hired at Dillons Distribution Center. Murray and Woods said Patterson enjoyed his job as a security guard at the distribution center first and wanted to protect people.

Eventually, Murray said, the distribution center hired a family member with whom Patterson had a tumultuous relationship. He had asked the hiring staff to deny the application.

Patterson’s thoughts in his journal about violence and suicide worsened after the hire, Murray said.

Patterson doesn’t own a firearm but began looking online to purchase one, she said, leading the women to contact authorities with information about the journal.

Murray and Woods said they wanted to help Patterson and prevent the harm or death of others. They said they agreed to help the police in his arrest.

Suspect’s family advocates for plan for people struggling with mental health

“I believe what needs to be done is there needs to be a plan of action for people who are in the same situation where there’s a place you can go and make these reports,” Murray said. “They will do what needs to be done to keep Dade (Andrew) safe and anyone that he might potentially harm safe.”

Hutchinson Police Department officers arrested 24-year-old Patterson at at 1:51 p.m. Wednesday on the 200 block of East Carpenter Street. The arrest was based on his journal, the planned attack against Dillons warehouse employees and other acts of violence detailed in the notebook, the department said in a news release.

Reno County District Attorney Tom Stanton told The Hutchinson News he could expect to file charges by week’s end.

“Prison is not where he needs to be,” Woods said. “He needs to be in a mental hospital getting help to feel safe in his own head. Prison is not going to solve the problem. It’s only going to make families not want to come forward when something’s wrong.”

Murray and Woods said they wanted to help Patterson with his mental condition, but now they worry other families in similar situations might not reach out to authorities.
Through tears, Murray contemplated the systems in place that could have helped her grandson.

“When you love someone unconditionally and know that they need help, where do you go? What do you do?” Murray asked. “He needs help. He doesn’t need to be taunted and made fun of — I wanted to save him.”

Help available for people having a mental health emergency

Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday signed Senate Bill 19, bipartisan legislation that created a suicide and mental health hotline for Kansas residents. As a result, Kansans will soon be able to call 9-8-8 to receive support during a mental health emergency.

A very powerful and thought provoking story.

[UNM1136]

On the mental health side of this coin....

I get compassion burnout. I do. I have it. My county has one mental health facility. The staff, like many, I suppose, are not interested in hard work.Just the fat paycheck. It is not uncommon for us to be contacted by a suicidal person, wanting help. Wanting to go in. Take them, drop them off, and, on a slow night have them out an hour later with a pamphmet of phone numbers. State law allows for a 72 hour involuntary Emergency Mental Health Evaluation. I made the mistake of calling it a "72 hour hold". The nurse asked me what I was talking about and when I told her, she smirked and said "we never hold them that long".

Yes, a vast majority around here have drug induced psychosis, from playing "Breaking Bad- The Home Game". That shouldn't change things.

I spent a lot of time on this case. Both covering calls for service the night of while two of my cops assisted with scene security, to many, many training classes, including a powerful one taught by the Lt. that asked Smitty and King to go pick up the mook.

Recently the hose draggers are giving us a lot of guff. Emboldened by founded complaints on officers who said silly things on scene when there was a disagreement on the ability of a drunken homeless person to refuse treatment and transport, our guys were ridiculed for calling in a similar situation for a homeless guy with a gash in his head bleeding profusely, like we were interrupting their sleep over and Playstation marathon or something.

It came to a head a couple weeks ago when a guy hung himself at a bus stop with coax cable. We got there and cut the hanging guy down. By the time the fire guys got there he was consious and was asked if he wanted to go to the hospital. He said no. We said he had no choice. Fire said, he don't wanna go, he don't gotta go and left. We called back, requested EMS only, not fire. Fire showed back up, canceled the ambulance, and told us "we told you, he don't wanna go, he don't gotta go". State statutes were quoted and we were told to transport him ourselves. Luckily the ambulance crew were curious after reading the call the second time and disrgarded the disregard. It hasn't happened to me, yet, but I am waiting, I have a plan, and a digital recorder to cover myself.

We can't get people kept for mental health reasons for more than a couple of hours, sometimes with multiple trips a day. But somebody pushes a nurse's hand away as she tries to undress them, and if the arrest is not immediately made for felony battery (Battery on Healthcare Personnel-4th degree felony) then managers, directors, and chiefs of police are called. We had one nurse fired for fabricating a complaint when we refused to take several rather rude "no-s" for an answer with a violent woman that they did not want to admit to the facility. We had several voice recorders going and could refute her complaint point by point.

I have been doing CIT for 22 years- 15 years before it became mandatory for every one. Most of that time I was the only CIT guy on the shift. I know compassion burnout because I have it. But I can act around my personal feelings and do my job to an acceptable standard.

There is no accessable processes for people that have not reached the point of actively trying to hurt others or actually causing obvious harm to themselves. You are in acute, active crisis and are dangerous right now, or you wait weeks for care, possibly until you are dangerous to yourself or others and require intervention, and then you may not be interested in help. Or like the case of Hyde, being refused help for your chronic mental health problem from your own providers until you begin to act lethally. And then the providers expect us to move Heaven and Earth to remedy the situation. Which we endeavor to do to an acceptable standard despite not being our extravganza nor simians, initially.

pat

[Caballoflaco]

@UNM1136 thank you for sharing that.

[Lon]

On the mental health side of this coin....

I get compassion burnout. I do. I have it. My county has one mental health facility. The staff, like many, I suppose, are not interested in hard work.Just the fat paycheck. It is not uncommon for us to be contacted by a suicidal person, wanting help. Wanting to go in. Take them, drop them off, and, on a slow night have them out an hour later with a pamphmet of phone numbers. State law allows for a 72 hour involuntary Emergency Mental Health Evaluation. I made the mistake of calling it a "72 hour hold". The nurse asked me what I was talking about and when I told her, she smirked and said "we never hold them that long".

Yes, a vast majority around here have drug induced psychosis, from playing "Breaking Bad- The Home Game". That shouldn't change things.

I spent a lot of time on this case. Both covering calls for service the night of while two of my cops assisted with scene security, to many, many training classes, including a powerful one taught by the Lt. that asked Smitty and King to go pick up the mook.

Recently the hose draggers are giving us a lot of guff. Emboldened by founded complaints on officers who said silly things on scene when there was a disagreement on the ability of a drunken homeless person to refuse treatment and transport, our guys were ridiculed for calling in a similar situation for a homeless guy with a gash in his head bleeding profusely, like we were interrupting their sleep over and Playstation marathon or something.

It came to a head a couple weeks ago when a guy hung himself at a bus stop with coax cable. We got there and cut the hanging guy down. By the time the fire guys got there he was consious and was asked if he wanted to go to the hospital. He said no. We said he had no choice. Fire said, he don't wanna go, he don't gotta go and left. We called back, requested EMS only, not fire. Fire showed back up, canceled the ambulance, and told us "we told you, he don't wanna go, he don't gotta go". State statutes were quoted and we were told to transport him ourselves. Luckily the ambulance crew were curious after reading the call the second time and disrgarded the disregard. It hasn't happened to me, yet, but I am waiting, I have a plan, and a digital recorder to cover myself.

We can't get people kept for mental health reasons for more than a couple of hours, sometimes with multiple trips a day. But somebody pushes a nurse's hand away as she tries to undress them, and if the arrest is not immediately made for felony battery (Battery on Healthcare Personnel-4th degree felony) then managers, directors, and chiefs of police are called. We had one nurse fired for fabricating a complaint when we refused to take several rather rude "no-s" for an answer with a violent woman that they did not want to admit to the facility. We had several voice recorders going and could refute her complaint point by point.

I have been doing CIT for 22 years- 15 years before it became mandatory for every one. Most of that time I was the only CIT guy on the shift. I know compassion burnout because I have it. But I can act around my personal feelings and do my job to an acceptable standard.

There is no accessable processes for people that have not reached the point of actively trying to hurt others or actually causing obvious harm to themselves. You are in acute, active crisis and are dangerous right now, or you wait weeks for care, possibly until you are dangerous to yourself or others and require intervention, and then you may not be interested in help. Or like the case of Hyde, being refused help for your chronic mental health problem from your own providers until you begin to act lethally. And then the providers expect us to move Heaven and Earth to remedy the situation. Which we endeavor to do to an acceptable standard despite not being our extravganza nor simians, initially.

pat

I always find the disparity of state laws interesting. In OH, fire/ems can’t do involuntary commitments, but cops can. The only time squad takes them is if they’ve actually harmed themselves or taken a bunch of pills and may crash. We still have to follow them and do the involuntary commitment paperwork.

[UNM1136]

I always find the disparity of state laws interesting. In OH, fire/ems can’t do involuntary commitments, but cops can. The only time squad takes them is if they’ve actually harmed themselves or taken a bunch of pills and may crash. We still have to follow them and do the involuntary commitment paperwork.

We seem to be in line We are not allowed to transport people in need of medical attention. I have paper in my jacket for doing just that. The hanging guy was hanging until out, and you would not believe the medical checks they need after that for internal injuries to the neck and brain. The involuntary commitment is our role, but for the obvious suicide attempt and loss of consciousness. With both those facts the transport should have happened. Only one of those and the area is a little more gray, with us handling the suicide attemt on our own. Once he lost consciousness it was a medical thing regardless of whether he came round before the arrival of the Fire/EMS. Regardless, it they should have transported with one of us following to do the paperwork, on our request.

But maybe my EMT license is too dusty. All the protocols I can find online are .pdf, and I really don't feel like downloading and researching right now. There is a lot of butthurt right now between Fire and cops, with attitude problems on both sides to keep it fueled. I know the futility of arguing with a Fire Lt about what I think needs to be done, just like he ain't gonna tell me how to do my job. The EMS guys were great, once they got on scene. They are, by protocol, dispatched at the same time, but there are far fewer EMS crews on duty at a given time, and Fire normally gets there first.

pat

[Suvorov]

Just reading @UNM1136 heartfelt post and recalling my personal issues with a former soldier diagnosed with a mental illness and kicked into the streets on his own. It makes me wonder. We often hear how we (USA) are the only 1st world nation with the firearms murder rate as high as it is and the reflexive “guns are the reason.” Of course demographics is a part of the answer but I also wonder how our mental healthcare system compares to other “1st world nations”? As pro 2A as I am, I doubt anyone thinks access to guns and untreated mental illness is a good combination.

[OlongJohnson]

You are in acute, active crisis and are dangerous right now, or you wait weeks for care, possibly until you are dangerous to yourself or others and require intervention, and then you may not be interested in help. Or like the case of Hyde, being refused help for your chronic mental health problem from your own providers until you begin to act lethally. And then the providers expect us to move Heaven and Earth to remedy the situation. Which we endeavor to do to an acceptable standard despite not being our extravganza nor simians, initially.

pat

It's very frustrating to me that it's the same way for regular health care. If I have a situation that crosses the line to, "I should get this looked at/treated/whatever," there are three options.

1. Urgent care. All experience and advice of medical professionals indicates they are useful if you need antibiotics or a fancy band-aid. Anything more advanced, and they'll send you to an ER.

2. Your established PCP or specialist will accept an appointment to see you in two weeks. Most such situations will either resolve or worsen to being ER situations within two weeks, so this is effectively the same as no medical care being available.

3. Go to the ER.

So if you have a situation that isn't really an ER situation yet and doesn't need to be if treated but could become one if untreated, your choice is just to wait it out with no medical attention at all and hope it doesn't become an ER situation or go to the ER with something that doesn't warrant being in an ER.

Really doesn't seem optimal. And this is with good insurance in a large, wealthy market known for its healthcare resources.

[RoyGBiv]

It's very frustrating to me that it's the same way for regular health care. If I have a situation that crosses the line to, "I should get this looked at/treated/whatever," there are three options.

1. Urgent care. All experience and advice of medical professionals indicates they are useful if you need antibiotics or a fancy band-aid. Anything more advanced, and they'll send you to an ER.

2. Your established PCP or specialist will accept an appointment to see you in two weeks. Most such situations will either resolve or worsen to being ER situations within two weeks, so this is effectively the same as no medical care being available.

3. Go to the ER.

So if you have a situation that isn't really an ER situation yet and doesn't need to be if treated but could become one if untreated, your choice is just to wait it out with no medical attention at all and hope it doesn't become an ER situation or go to the ER with something that doesn't warrant being in an ER.

Really doesn't seem optimal. And this is with good insurance in a large, wealthy market known for its healthcare resources.

Do you not have Doc-in-a-box's where you are?
It's hard to throw a rock here and not hit one.

We have 2 on our GTG list. First one is great for mild illness (URI, Strep, etc). The other has lots more equipment and can diagnose and treat broken bones in addition to the common ailments. Both are in network and charge a normal office visit. The second one is open 24 hours and does charge an ER visit between ~9Pm and ~6AM, IIRC. Typically walk-in with short wait at either, or can call ahead and schedule for same day, usually.

Wife broke her Fibula water skiing a few years ago. Went to a place called, literally, "Direct orthopedic care" (DOC). X-ray, diagnosis, boot, out the door in less than 1 hour for a regular office visit plus the boot.

[Erick Gelhaus]

@GJM told me to never jump in after page 5, welp ...

The last thing an incident commander needs is to have 911 calls routed to them directly. Thats less efficient than the normal system where a dispatcher or someone at a call center takes it. That’s why we have dispatchers to begin with. Dispatch can triage the calls based on what’s pertinent too.

I'd have liked to see a dispatcher with the ability to talk directly with the I/C. Direct flow of info - maybe - could have helped. However, not knowing the number of people in that dispatch center I have no idea if that could have realistically been done.
When we deployed our mobile command post, tactical dispatchers came with it. Through monitors and verbal communication inside the thing, we could share incoming information.

How would the IC failing to authorize an entry meet the elements of murder in any state or federal law?

@TGS - I'm not disagreeing with you but I'm seriously sick & freakin' tired of people so ignorant that they can't, won't crack a penal code book or webpage before they their mouth. Murder has been specifically defined.

I would think that radio traffic would be easy to manage using different channels for Fire, PD and School PD from a common dispatch, but, I have no idea what radio tech they are using (trunked/not, etc).

I'm thinking of my county & my work environment with this response.
Currently, I work court security a couple days a week. 15 courtrooms, most with two deputies, correctional deputies moving inmates in & out holding cells attached to courtrooms. We still walk all over each other's radio traffic calling for inmates or saying they're ready to go back etc. Little is simple.
Common dispatch? We haven't had it in twenty years.
The one (unsuccessful) active killer event I worked as a sergeant involved four different dispatch centers (ours, county fire/ems, CHP, and state parks) on a major holiday with multiple special events (fireworks, etc) and an animal rights protest too.
I was on the phone with dispatch asking about the call because the little I was hearing sounded really weird and that's when the shooting part happened. 8 injured victims, 5 separate crime scenes he'd gone mobile, ended with an OIS. Brief cell phone conversation with the watch commander, he made phone calls up the chain of command (other Lts, captains, sheriff), while I called other sergeants for patrol, detectives, PAO, I/A, etc - to stay off of the radio.
The different dispatch centers, especially mine, were having a difficulty understanding that we needed to keep everything going to the scene until we really knew what we had rather than cancelling one asset because somebody was sending something else. The example was helicopters - an air ambulance, CHPs, & ours. No, don't cancel CHP's, I need every asset until I know I don't. We had multiple victims that needed air evac, a suspect that had been shot multiple times, and other issues. That was just one example.

My twenty years of emergency management dronehood makes me wonder if ICS was invoked?

The L/E world is not good at ICS. Essentially because we don't do it day-in, day-out like the fire & EMS worlds do. I've had the week long class that all L/E supervisors have to have but we just don't do it at the street level.
Where was the school district "chief" in relation to the hall & classroom? It was (& is) interesting to me to see the Fire I/C's a good distance away from the problem, rather than standing in the driveway or at the edge of the busted glass. It seemed many would remove themselves from the problem so that they could run it without being influenced by it's visual.

[scjbash]

1. Urgent care. All experience and advice of medical professionals indicates they are useful if you need antibiotics or a fancy band-aid. Anything more advanced, and they'll send you to an ER.

2. Your established PCP or specialist will accept an appointment to see you in two weeks. Most such situations will either resolve or worsen to being ER situations within two weeks, so this is effectively the same as no medical care being available.

I had a similar situation last week, except that the specialist requires a referral even though my insurance doesn't. So I had to go to urgent care and wait to be seen just so I could tell the nurse prac that I was only there for a referral. He got on a computer and submitted one and I was on my way. It was a pointless formality that did nothing but require me to miss work, spend money, and get exposed to sick people unnecessarily. Not optimal at all.