We all need to rethink the treatment of our officers

I AM THE mother of a police officer. Therefore, my opinion is understandably partially biased. I am also a retired psychologist who spent over 30 years treating the mentally ill. As the state contemplates a retrial of Officers (Keith) Sandy and (Dominique) Perez, I offer the following for your consideration:

No one should protest this mistrial unless they were either present in the courtroom or watched the trial on live-streaming and witnessed the intricacies of decision-making that was required of these two officers.

While empathy is understandably with the mentally ill and the homeless, the public, in its sympathy, may underestimate the dangerousness of psychotic individuals.

As one of the defense lawyers reminded the jury, mentally ill people can be as dangerous as anybody.

A psychotic individual who is not on medication is at the mercy of the voices in his head, frequently telling him to commit violent acts. He believes those voices, has no ability to mediate those voices with rational thinking and has little or zero impulse control.

The Albuquerque Police Department spent hours negotiating with this individual, had spent hours in the past arresting and dealing with this individual and has handled numerous threats against officers made by this individual. Justice must be served and the state has given him a fair trial at great expense.

The two officers, on the other hand, have had their lives turned upside down, face mountains of debt incurred for their own defense and, in the case of Perez — who served two tours of duty in Iraq, was the recipient of the Purple Heart and was described as a “stellar” officer — must fight for a job and reinstatement as a police officer — a tall order.

So, as the saying goes, “Where do we get such men?”

In a time when crime is high and police staffing is low, when officers are second-guessing whether to defend themselves when threatened by a criminal, and police are dying at the hands of felons, the public, the government and the nation need to rethink their treatment, policies and remuneration of police officers.

MARY ELLEN HARRIS-GARCIA Bernalillo