Randi McGinn: SWAT team changes to avoid shooting suicidal citizens
Inner Circle member Randi McGinn, Albuquerque, New Mexico, represented the family of Larry Harper, a suicidal man who was shot and killed late one night in the mountains near Albuquerque by a SWAT Team. The resolution of this case included:
1) Reorganizing the SWAT team and creating a Crisis Intervention Team, trained in mental illness and depression to respond to suicidal citizens;
2) Tape recording all encounters with suicidal citizens;
3) Fingerprinting all weapons found at the scene;
4) Disciplining officers for violating SOPs;
5) Informing families of a shooting death of a loved one and providing counseling to them (rather than the previous policy of just providing counseling to the police officer who shot the person)