Police chief: Officers struggle with countless variables

AUSTIN, Minn. – After an apparently deranged man was killed last week by Austin police, the city’ police chief, David McKichan, said in an interview that responding to situations involving mental health is complicated. McKichan agreed to the interview wIth television station KIMT on condition that he not discuss specifics of the latest case, which remains under an external investigation. Every situation, McKichan said, involves many different factors. “When an officer is dispatched on a call, we often do not have all of the information, and we are trying to determine: ‘Is criminality involved? Is mental health involved? Is some kind of substance use involved?’” Sometimes, he said, it will be those things singularly, sometimes it will be a combination of those things that an officer has to go through to try to determine what is happening. Officers always strive to reach a verbal solution, he said. He acknowledged that “a great many” calls involving mental health do not require any response by police. But whoever ir is, the first responder must weigh a variety of legal, strategic, and public safety considerations that could change the outcome of the response. “If it’s a pursuit, you’re monitoring for: “What’s the reason for the pursuit? What’s the danger to the public? The officer? The suspect? Do we need to terminate that pursuit, even though we understand we had something we wanted to take them into custody for, but factors change based on the environment changing? Again, rural road — vastly different than downtown Austin.” Chief McKichan continued: “As much as we train, and as much as we do the things to control it, we often have an aspect of the other subject’s behavior that we’re not going to be able to control.”

Earlier: Family: Cops lying about Fiafonou shooting

Earlier: Personal glimpses few into Fiafonou’s life

Earlier: Agency confirms multiple shots in Austin death

Earlier: Earlier: 24-hour stand-off ends across street: One dead