DOJ finds Oklahoma City police discriminate against people with behavioral disorders

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City and its police department discriminated against people with behavioral disorders, the U.S. Department of Justice said Friday after releasing the latest in a series of investigations into state and local law enforcement.

In its 45-page report, the DOJ found that the city unnecessarily institutionalizes adults with mental illness and that the police department often escalates crisis situations by responding with armed officers rather than behavioral health professionals. .

“As a result, urgent mental health needs often go unaddressed and crisis situations escalate unnecessarily, sometimes leading to use of force that could have been avoided,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, in a press release.

Oklahoma City and Police Chief Ron Bacy both said Thursday they were still reviewing the report.

The report said the DOJ launched the investigation in 2022 after receiving a complaint, but did not provide further details. The Justice Department did not immediately return an email seeking comment Friday.

The Oklahoma investigation is one of 12 similar probes opened by the DOJ since April 2021. Many were conducted in response to high-profile deaths at the hands of police, including George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky . Other completed investigations have all revealed illegal police practices.

The DOJ concluded in its report of findings that it intended to work with city and state officials to reach a resolution to their findings, but added that if a resolution could not be reached , the agency could take legal action to ensure requirements are met for Americans with disabilities. Act.

In separate statements, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond and Gov. Kevin Stitt acknowledged the need to improve the state’s mental health system but criticized the DOJ under President Joe Biden for what they called federal overreach.

“We will review the findings closely, but the DOJ report appears to be an attempt to intimidate Oklahoma into complying with ever-changing and undefined goals,” Drummond said.