PORT TOWNSEND — Two public safety agencies have collaborated on a process for dealing with people determined to be behaving aggressively because of medical problems rather than criminal purposes.
The Rage Aggression Delirium protocol, known as RAD, represents collaborative action between the Port Townsend Police Department and East Jefferson Fire Rescue and is invoked when a person is acting unreasonably and irrationally — in a way that poses danger to themselves, others and property.
“In many cases this behavior has a medical origin, either due to drugs or mental illness, and shouldn’t be treated in the same way as a criminal suspect,” said Deputy Chief Ted Krysinski of East Jefferson Fire Rescue, who helped to create the protocol.
“By doing this we can prevent what would most likely become a terminal situation,”
he said.
In cases where a person is acting irrationally, a police officer can make the decision to call the RAD team, which includes two emergency medical technicians, two fire department engine personnel and a duty chief.
The team then determines whether or not to use drugs to calm the person or attempt to talk them down, with the ultimate purpose of getting them to treatment.
Krysinski said the process was developed after it was found that emergency personnel were dealing with increasing numbers of agitated people. They needed to create a safe environment for them.
Since its implementation a year ago, the RAD team has responded to about 30 calls, with one in three requiring the use of drugs, officials said.
Such drugs as ketamine can be used to subdue a person acting irrationally or out of control to what officers determine is a dangerous degree.
“These people are in fits of rage and need to be managed with medical options,” Krysinski said.
The drugs offer a range of potency — from a dose that approximates a glass of white wine at the low end to a fifth of Scotch in extreme cases, Krysinski said.
The acronym RAD was chosen due to the ability to speak and remember the term quickly, Krysinski said.
As many as six or seven police officers may participate. The purpose is to subdue without injuring a person who is out of control.
The fire department dispatches extra people to help with the capture because assembling more than three local police officers can be difficult on short notice, according to Port Townsend Police Detective Luke Bogues.
For the past three years, about 10 percent of the calls to the department have been related to mental health in some way, Bogues said.
Each case is approached and decided on its own merits, he said.
In Port Townsend, officers have personal knowledge about many residents and know how to approach them, he added.
In these circumstances, officers find a common ground, either from previous knowledge of the person or a reference to the environment.
“If we can find anything in common, like a love of music, it develops trust and becomes a way we can really connect,” Bogues said.
Bogues said the department has evoked RAD three times since the beginning of this year.
In one case, a man was acting erratically in a market and police were able to calm him down.
Bogues took video of the most extreme behavior.
“By the time they are seen by medical personnel, they have calmed down and are acting in a relatively normal way,” Bogues said.
“If I can provide a video of them in distress, then the hospital knows what it is dealing with,” he added.
Krysinski said times have changed; police are learning to pay attention to the symptoms before taking aggressive action.
“In the past, there was only one solution — to use force to take down and subdue the subject,” he said,
“Recognizing the behavior as medical leads to a more positive outcome.”
________
Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
