Rochester Hills, Michigan During a press conference on Monday, June 17, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard provided an update on the Rochester Hills shooting.
The sheriff spent much of Monday’s press conference talking about mental health, which he said is clearly a serious issue here in metro Detroit and across the nation.
“He appeared to be pacing around the house with a weapon, saying things like, ‘Turn off your cell phone, you’re being watched, you’re being bugged over there,'” Sheriff Bouchard said.
Family members say the suspect in the Splash Pad shooting had serious mental health issues, but Bouchard said that’s nothing new.
“This is something that happens every day in our communities across the country. We need to put more emphasis on the mental health of our communities. We need to increase mental health resources, both inpatient and outpatient, as a broader continuum of care. We’re not doing that,” Sheriff Bouchard explained.
In fact, this is something the sheriff has been arguing for a long time.
“I have been calling for increased mental health resources for our community. We respond to mental health calls almost daily,” Sheriff Bouchard revealed.
Unfortunately, this is a double-edged sword that also impacts power.
“Law enforcement and public safety agencies need more peer-to-peer mental health resources. Over the last two years, we’ve seen a sharp increase in the number of officer deaths in the line of duty, and even more so than the number of officer suicides. So we need help,” Sheriff Bouchard said.
As a result, help is beginning to reach at least some of the Oakland County dispatch officers who have had to deal with two mass shootings in less than three years.
“Frankly, they’re just overwhelmed, so we’re going to be flying somebody out this afternoon to start debriefing with our team,” Sheriff Bouchard added.
For those who need help, the Sheriff’s Office has a list of mental health resources available here.
Related: Trauma, mental health concerns after Rochester Hills shooting
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