It’s a tactical piece of equipment that looks like a small tank that could be used to advance on enemy troops. Somehow, it became part of the law enforcement response to a wellness check on Marianne Griffiths, 56, who was shot and killed by Easton police in February after she allegedly pointed a rifle-style BB gun at them.
According to Easton police Chief Keith Boone, the tank-like piece of equipment was “brought to the scene to breach the front door to allow entry.” The equipment, he said, belongs to the Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council or MetroLEC, which, according to its website, is a consortium of 46 local police and sheriff departments whose members receive “specialized training and equipment.” Of the nine divisions listed, however, none specifically relate to mental health.
The shooting of Griffiths is still under investigation by Bristol District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III. Asked for an update, Gregg Miliote, a spokesman for the Bristol DA, said via e-mail, “The investigation is nearing its conclusion.” When it is finally done, it should explain how a wellness check generated such a military-like response, with one Easton resident describing dozens of police vehicles lining the area and many officers armed with automatic weapons and sporting tactical gear walking the streets.
According to Boone, MetroLEC was called to respond to what he described as “an armed barricaded subject.” The tank-like equipment, he said, “is a vehicle Metro Team has and is used to approach buildings/structures when there is a safety concern and can be used to breach doors so an officer(s) isn’t in a vulnerable position.”
But what about the vulnerability of the person with mental illness? How might such tactics and equipment trigger their anxiety, potentially leading to the tragic consequences of the Griffiths case? Michelle Goodwin, a MetroLEC spokeswoman, referred my questions about the agency’s response “to the community that received assistance” and did not respond to a specific question about the use of this piece of equipment.
Globe reporters Dugan Arnett and Laura Crimaldi recently detailed other cases in Massachusetts where a relative or loved one has dialed 911 seeking help for someone in the midst of a mental health crisis. Police arrive, and the situation escalates and turns deadly. A version of that happened in Easton.
Easton police said they responded to a call requesting a wellness check on a woman who had told her son she had injected herself with a dangerous amount of insulin in an attempt to kill herself. According to a press release put out at the time by the DA, when police arrived, Griffiths — who was grieving the recent loss of a son — allegedly threatened to shoot them and herself. The officers evacuated the other people in the home and exited the residence. At that point, Griffiths allegedly ran back upstairs, approached the front entry to the home and pointed what appeared to be a rifle at the officers. An Easton police officer fired one shot, which killed her. The gun Griffiths had turned out to be a pump-action BB gun.
One father, who has an adult daughter with mental illness who lives in Easton, told me that one of his greatest fears is that he will someday receive a phone call telling him that his child has been shot by police in response to a call made to them by someone concerned about her behavior.
This father’s fears took on new urgency after the police shooting of Griffiths. The father, who asked to not be identified, contacted Boone, who has been responsive to his concerns. He said Boone met with him and took time to explain how his officers deal with mental health situations. Easton police have also shown care and understanding during previous interactions with his daughter, the father said. Still, given the outcome in the Griffiths case, this father is not satisfied. “The story is that this could happen anywhere until there is a process in place to enhance the probability that a person does not needlessly die,” he told me.
Boone also said via email that in 2018, the Easton police department received training in the “One Mind” campaign. According to information put out by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the One Mind campaign ”focuses on uniting local communities, public safety organizations, and mental health organizations so that the three become ‘of one mind.’” Calling in another law enforcement agency that uses military-like tactical equipment seems at odds with what the “One Mind” program promotes.
What kind of training do Easton police receive? How should it shape their response to people who suffer from mental illness? When police interact with a person with mental illness and the encounter ends with the death of that person, the family, of course, deserves answers. So does the public.
Joan Vennochi is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @joan_vennochi.