Please sign this petition to advance the rights of the mentally ill in Kansas, to protect our law enforcement, and keep our communities safe.  On July 4th, 2014 a young veteran with PTSD was killed by the Wichita Police Department in front of his mother, sister, and three children while he was having a mental health crisis.  This echoed the killing of a young woman by WPD two years before who also had a mental illness.  In both cases, families claim that their family members would still be alive had the police handled their mental illness appropriately.   Together, we can end these senseless killings, protect police, and strengthen our communities by educating our law enforcement on how to handle mental health crises.

            Senate Bill 88 provides for the proper and mandatory training of law enforcement officers concerning mentally ill persons.  Passing Senate Bill 88 would ensure that officers have the skills and knowledge to safely respond to those in a mental health crisis, increase collaboration and cooperation between the criminal justice and mental health systems, and prevent unnecessary incarceration of the mentally ill.  When Kansas spends an average of $24,000 on each inmate per year and mental health services cost Kansas approximately $91 per person per year, incarcerating the mentally ill is a costly mistake.  Unfortunately, the bill has been sitting in the Committee of Corrections and Juvenile Justice since January 2015.  We, the petitioners, urge the Committee to advance this bill and the rights of mentally ill persons and police alike.

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