After 'Person In Crisis' Assaults Brookline Police Officer, A Statement

BROOKLINE, MA — A man ran away from a mental facility in South Brookline Tuesday night, stole a bike and injured a police officer in a tussle before he was stopped near Larz Anderson Park and taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation. The police officer continued his shift and police said he wasn't seriously injured. But the situation highlighted some areas the Police Department is working on.

At 7:31 p.m. police got a call from someone at Bournewood Hospital, which is a a private acute psychiatric and addictions treatment facility, serving adults and adolescents through inpatient and partial hospital programs, according to its website. The staff member said one of the patients, a 43-year-old man, had run away from the South Brookline 12 acre open campus and had snatched a bicycle from a nearby home along the way to use it as a getaway.

A police officer found him some distance away and attempted to somehow secure him, but ended up getting somehow injured in a tussle before chasing the man on foot in Larz.

The Brookline Police Department took the opportunity to issue a statement to let residents in on the efforts they're going to to train officers when it comes to mental health issues.

"The greatest challenge we face today in our community is a mental health crisis. It is a burgeoning problem; one we are working to mitigate," said Deputy Superintendent Michael Gropman.

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"The assault on one of our senior officers last night by a person in crisis is part of a national trend. Assaults on police officers have increased since 2014, as have ambushes and felonious assaults. To say the current environment for police officers is difficult is an understatement," he said.

Then Gropman acknowledged that police are not necessarily everyone's favorite in town.

"We have lost the trust and confidence of a portion of our citizenry and it is incumbent upon us to gain it back," he said.

He said the Brookline Police Department were working on establishing trust through everything from crossing kids on their way to school, stopping a vehicle for speeding on your street, helping find a missing dog or cat, or handing out reward “tickets” to kids wearing bike helmets for ice cream.

"Along the way we have made mistakes. Most are due to the unique circumstances we face as a result of the complexities of people dealing with crisis. We are held accountable for these mistakes and rightfully so. What we are trying to do, though, is get better by learning from these mistakes," he wrote.

Here's the rest of his statement:

"We have invested an enormous amount of time and resources into the most current, professional, advanced training available. This ongoing training helps us in preparing for the next crisis, and we know, unfortunately, there will be a next one.
The greatest challenge we face today in our community is a mental health crisis. It is a burgeoning problem; one we are working to mitigate. Over the last two years, we have spent a significant amount of time training our officers on de-escalation techniques. These steps have saved people’s lives, literally. Currently, we are training officers in self-defense techniques. These techniques are used to minimize and even eliminate injuries to both the officer and the offender while reducing an escalation in force. We have invited the media and Town officials to participate in our training so they can observe, participate and comprehend what we do. Make no mistake about it, we work for you. Every officer signed up to make a difference, help people, and do the right thing. Human suffering is never pretty and sometimes our response is harsh, too. If we continue, however, to invest our time and effort educating the public about what we do, why we do it, and how we do, we hope to begin to bridge the gap and regain public trust and support. We are hopeful that you’ll be part of the solution; that’s what community is all about.
Very Respectfully,
DS Michael Gropman"

Stay tuned for part 2 of this article. If you have had an experience with Bournewood Hospital, positive or negative, reach out to jenna.fisher@patch.com

Photos by Jenna Fisher/Patch