Cárdenas Statement on Police Shooting in Pacoima
SAN FERNANDO VALLEY — Today, Congressman Tony Cárdenas (CA-29) released the following statement after the fatal police shooting of a man during a mental health emergency in Pacoima:
“This is terrible news. It is unacceptable that Los Angeles does not have sufficient resources to deploy mental health professionals quickly, with one of its limited number of mental health units being en route but still dozens of miles away from the emergency. Armed officers should not be our first and only response to individuals and families in crisis. Tragic and repeating situations like these can be prevented. We can and must do better. That is why I am introducing legislation that will create the infrastructure and provide sustained funding for states and cities to better respond to mental health crises in a compassionate and effective manner.
“We are failing our communities when we criminalize mental illness. We are failing our communities when we rely on law enforcement officers to respond to mental health emergencies. And we are failing our communities when we don’t equip and fund crisis response teams. We know how to fix these issues, and it’s time for all of us to take action.”
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