Trevon Johnson's Death Raises Questions About Mental Health, How Police Handle It

There’s a lot we don’t know about the night Trevon Johnson was shot.

Although three released 911 calls revealed alleged details about the evening the 17-year-old was killed after an altercation with a police officer — he was hysterical, he was breaking things, he was carrying knives — one key question remains in the balance: was the episode triggered by a mental health issue?

Mike Hoffman, the education and community outreach director for the DuPage chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, told the Daily Herald that what might have started out as a mental health emergency didn’t need to result in a shooting. Multiple options were available to help Johnson in that case — not solely calling the police.

This doesn't make the shooting a blame game, he says, but an illustration of the gaps in the suburban mental health system.

Being mentally ill isn't a crime, so the person has to be presenting a clear danger to himself or others before police can force an examination. At the hospital, beds are scarce and funding is tight, so some patients are sent home shortly after being brought in by police, Hoffman said. The same can happen when people try to seek treatment on their own. Experts say there is a shortage of psychiatrists, and some insurance plans make it tough to find a provider.

In one of the released 911 calls, Johnson’s brother is asked whether Johnson has any history of mental illness.

“I think so,” his brother says on the other line.

The Herald reported Johnson’s death came at a time in which mental health training for police is being explored. Experts are saying it’s becoming increasingly crucial for officers to receive mental health training for more effective policing.

There are also funding gaps and issues with the mental health system, code and its enforcement in places like schools, hospitals and treatment centers, the Herald reported.

These gaps in mental health diagnosis, treatment, funding and family support show the responsibility to prevent crises from turning tragic doesn't fall squarely on police. But for officers, it often feels like the duty is all theirs, says Ed Wojcicki, executive director of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.

"Fair or not, that's just the way things are working out," he said.

So departments are doing their best to respond and prepare. Mainly, they're seeking Crisis Intervention Team training for their officers. The program teaches signs and symptoms of mental illnesses and ways to communicate with someone in a mental health crisis. It adapts the traditional police technique of de-escalation to be appropriate for people with mental illnesses and also imparts empathy.

"It's training officers to try to use verbal skills literally to talk a person down so they can try to avoid using force," said Steven Casstevens, Buffalo Grove police chief and president of the statewide chiefs association.

Patricia Doyle, who runs Vision for Change, a mental health training business in DuPage, said there are numerous ways families can look out for their loved ones’ mental health and support any disabilities.

One option, she told the Herald, would be calling and talking to the police on a day their family member is stable. Signing up for “Smart 911” is another idea — both options would give the police crucial information about the mentally ill person’s health that could help in times of crisis.

Johnson’s family gathered for a memorial service Sunday in Chicago.

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