Over 7 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and nearly 22,000 Montanans have been diagnosed in 2020, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: This was one of the viral videos of police activity in 2020. Almost a year ago, a 73-year-old woman with dementia was violently arrested by police in Loveland, Colo. The officers have since resigned and are facing criminal charges. The woman s lawyer says officers dislocated and fractured her shoulder. As police departments face pressure to examine the use of force, this arrest has highlighted a problem. Police often lack the skills to interact with disabled people. From KUNC in northern Colorado, Leigh Paterson reports.
Rethinking policing: Helping officers understand dementia
and last updated 2021-05-13 17:32:24-04
It happened in Glendale, AZ, and Loveland, CO.
Police officers arrested, jailed, and laughed about elderly people accused of minor crimes, and their families later came forward to say the arrestees didn t know what they were doing due to dementia.
Loveland Police arrested Karen Garner, 73, last year for allegedly shoplifting soda and detergent from a Walmart.
Advocates say these cases highlight the need to train police on interacting with people who have Alzheimer s and other forms of dementia. I think we can all agree that a person with dementia in crisis the last place you want to put them is in jail, and I know many officers we ve spoken to who are not okay with that option, said Kinsey McManus, Programs Director for the Alzheimer s Association, Desert Southwest Chapter.