LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Lexington-Fayette County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) released a statement Friday night questioning the handling of the Rogers Road homicide.
Saturday evening, the Lexington Police Department released its own statement. Police say the two officers who responded to a welfare check are Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) trained.
Police say the training consists of teaching the following:
- medications used to treat mental illness effectively
- signs and symptoms of mental illness
- verbal de-escalation skills and active listening skills that are reinforced through interactive scenarios
- resources available
The NAACP asks if LPD " followed state laws and two of their policies (that could have prevented the death of two children at the hands of their mother on Monday, May 2, 2022, at Parkway Manor Apartments in Lexington."
"Based on our review of media reports, Kentucky laws, and LPD policies, the following questions remain about the interactions between the LPD officers prior to the death of two innocent children in Lexington are:
- Did LPD officers witness a mother having a mental health crisis that should have resulted in her being transported to a psychiatric facility?
- Did LPD officers witness a mother who was unable to protect two children?
- Did LPD officers that responded to the 911 calls prior to the death of the children request help from a more trained officer in mental health?
- Did LPD officers reach out to the known governmental agencies and community resources that could have removed the children from the home prior to their death?"
In the press release, Lexington NAACP also calls upon Mayor Linda Gorton and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council to conduct an investigation "to determine whether the Lexington Police Department violated state laws and their policies regarding their interactions with our most vulnerable citizens, children and people experiencing mental illness."
Full statement:
