WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court is considering whether the Americans With Disabilities Act requires police to take special precautions when trying to arrest armed and violent suspects who are mentally ill.
The justices hear arguments on Monday in a dispute over how San Francisco police dealt with a woman with schizophrenia who had threatened to kill her social worker. Police forced their way into Teresa Sheehan’s room at a group home and then shot her after she came at them with a knife.
Lawyers for Sheehan say police must make reasonable accommodations when arresting people with mental or physical disabilities. They say police could have used less aggressive tactics to avoid a violent confrontation.
City officials say Sheehan posed an immediate safety threat and police had no duty to change their response.