Man Suffering Mental Health Issue Trigger Huge Cop Response at Store

Police in Miamisburg responded in force to the Kroger Marketplace on Tuesday afternoon following a man suffering from a mental health issue.

A Montgomery County dispatch supervisor stated that at around 3:45 p.m., medical personnel and Miamisburg police were dispatched to the Kroger Marketplace at 255 N Heincke Road in response to allegations of an unruly individual.

According to a representative for the Miamisburg Police Department, a male in “his late 20s, early 30s” entered the business, took a box cutter, and then hid in the men’s room.

The suspect was going through a mental health crisis, but he refrained from harming himself, according to the spokeswoman.

Trespassing, inciting panic, and stealing were the accusations that led to the suspect’s detention by the police.

The grocery store itself was never closed; an area close to the pharmacy was.

Between 7 and 10% of all interactions with police include persons with mental illness. 

People with mental illness are more likely to be detained, wounded, and killed by officers than the general population, although they do not necessarily act violently. 

Law enforcement should not be the first to respond to those who are suffering from mental health crises.

Because they are ill-prepared to deal with such circumstances, police officers frequently find themselves acting as first responders. 

Insurance company denial of care, high out-of-pocket costs, insufficient reimbursement to mental health providers, and a lack of availability of psychiatric medications were some of the factors that contributed to the fact that only 64.5% of adults with a severe mental illness received treatment in 2020.

The mental health effects of racism, as well as the stigma associated with mental illness, treatment hurdles, and a lack of culturally competent care, exacerbate an inadequate and unsuitable system for dealing with mental health emergencies.