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This week, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont used an executive order to call for greater accountability in the state police. The Connecticut Chiefs of Police Association issued a 90-day moratorium on law enforcement authorities accepting more military equipment. And the Police Accountability and Transparency Task Force outlined a series of priorities to reform policing in Connecticut. Among these recommendations is an examination of police officers’ interactions with individuals with a mental, intellectual or physical disability.

The role of police in responding to calls of people in a mental health crisis has been one of the issues raised by those calling for a defunding of police departments - a reallocation of dollars toward a different kind of response.

Kelan’s story “Should police be social workers?” digs into this issue - the many hats police are expected to wear, the training they get in dealing with mental health issues, and the value of that training. His examination of this system is in the context of this nationwide reckoning about police and racism in America.

Note: This podcast contains police body camera footage of a shooting. Some listeners may find it disturbing.