My Experience With a Police "Welfare Check"

[daredtowork]

Last edited Fri Dec 19, 2014, 12:57 AM - Edit history (1)

I wrote such a long comment on a post about a police "welfare check" gone tragically wrong, that I thought I'd turn it into a post. It's interesting this came up now, because I was actually trying to get at the subject of police replacing traditional public infrastructure during my 2 minutes at the emergency Berkeley City Council Meeting dealing with the Berkeley #BlackLivesMatter Protests and increasingly fraught relations between the community and the police. My comment must have not come across very well because I was skipped in both the tweeting and the news coverage. I guess I'm not cut out to be a public speaker, hehe.

Anyway, if I had somewhat longer than 2 minutes to make my point, here is the point I wanted to make:

With the collapse of the welfare system and many public services, people at the lower end of the social scale are increasingly exposed to negative/stressful encounters with the police. This isn't just in regard to criminal activity - this relates to evictions, drug/alcohol escapism, suicide interventions, domestic disputes that weren't actually violence, noise/nuisance complaints, etc. As your life becomes more desperate, and there is nothing you can do about it (for lack of programs and advocacy options), the more the police are knocking on your door. They have become ad hoc social control.

And then there is the "welfare check", which is more or less a blank check for police to walk into your house in the name of privacy from your neighbors.

My consciousness was raised about this recently, because I have experienced it personally, and I am outraged to no end about it.

If you check some of my sig and my other posts, you will see that I have been through a horror story with Social Services. The petition in my sig doesn't even include the part about me losing Medi-Cal and the bureaucratic hell-wave that entailed. Anyway, I had to deal with a lot of Social Services hearings and paperwork - the whole thing was very nerve-wracking and time-consuming, and it took over my life at a time when I had just been on the verge of getting on with my life. When I finally got Medi-Cal back, the first thing that happened was the HMO that manages my Medi-Cal services rejected a procedure I had been working on getting for many months. I found out appealing involved *yet another* Social Services hearing.

I am a mild-mannered person who in the past let important things slip through the cracks at my medical clinic: at one point I lost my eyesight mainly because I wasn't speaking loudly enough about getting missing information into my medical record and getting treatment I knew I needed. As I viewed this situation: I was not going to go through one more Social Services hearing - I was going to demand my medical clinic find another way (either the doctor rewrite the referral, or they find another way to work with the HMO). I had to speak strongly because my medical clinic had a history of not hearing me, and in this situation there was a clock running on the procedure (the imaging for it was already a year old). Unfortunately for me, I put it in writing. I said up at the top why I felt I had to speak strongly. Then I said they had to find me another way. And then I said I would hold a sign and march out in front of city hall in traffic if they didn't.

Did this get me my procedure? Noooooooo. Actually helping to fix my medical problems might be giving into my spoiled little tantrum or some other psychological behaviorial crap. Instead they called the police to do a "welfare check".

This in itself is a very nerve-wracking encounter, even if you know you've done nothing wrong and aren't going to get arrested. The police are potent symbols of authority. You also have to figure that you're in their database and "on the grid" once they have to speak to you.

I had to let the police into my room, without any advance warning they were coming. My room was a mess.

I had to explain to all my curious neighbors why the police had come knocking at the door. I'm really glad my housemate wasn't around at the time.

I had been going to that medical clinic regularly for over 2 years. Not just for medical appointments: I went there almost weekly for acupuncture, women's health groups, nutritionist advice, social work, all the extra stuff they had. Will all the bureaucracy in my life, I did not need all those extra appointments. I had mobility problems - I was often struggling just to get there, and sometimes I used bus money even though I couldn't afford it. I'm an introvert: I'd much prefer to keep to myself, but I made that effort to keep going to that medical clinic. The ONLY reason I kept pushing myself to do it was when push came to shove, I wanted the people there to know my face, recognize me as a human being, and make a decision based on their knowledge of me as a person.

When that important moment came, they forgot I was a human being, and they fell back on their procedures. They treated me as an "it" that needed a "welfare check".

At least half a dozen people in that clinic should have known me well enough to understand what I had been through with Social Services, how I communicate, and what it would do to me if they called the police on me.

It's dispiriting to think how much time I wasted trying to develop some sort of human relationship with people there.

Anyway, this "welfare check" not only added a negative encounter with the police - it broke my relationship with my medical clinic as well. Think about that: people on the low end of the social scale may not have a lot of community ties. Do we need the police breaking the few they have left?

While the Berkeley PD does not have a bad reputation, there is some concern that a transgender woman named Kayla Moore died during a "welfare check" the police did on her last year.

Perhaps the police shouldn't be handling these "welfare checks". Perhaps they are a poor replacement for community outreach to isolated people with various needs.

***********

Here is the post where I originally made this comment:
Innocent (white) Man Raided, Tased, Beaten, & Shot By a Corrupt SWAT Team (who Lied to Get the Raid)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025978850


RIP Kayla Moore

[Dont call me Shirley]

1. I feel sadness for your hardship, dared.

Always must act completely calm and crystal clear with medical people, and cops, or they make wrong judgements.

[daredtowork]

2. Please don't feel bad for me

I have to fall down on my knees and thank whatever deity is looking after me that I'm not homeless yet, because really I should be. A number of ridiculously lucky factors protected me from homelessness, in a situation where anybody else would be.

On top of that, my eyesight didn't go until the moment the ACA kicked in, and I could get treatment. I've been on welfare. I've been through the process of applying for disability. But that's not going to be my future because I finally did get the medical care I needed.

If you put that all together, it seems that perhaps there are some forces in the universe that wanted to put me through these particular experiences precisely because I would be able to describe them - perhaps "out" the situation for other people.

[Dont call me Shirley]

8. Still, we should not be made to live this way. Worrying every moment if we are going to be

homeless because of sickness or not be treated for medical conditions because we don't have insurance. I've been to both places and almost died. It is disgusting the way of our society. We are not "useless eaters" as the .01% refer to us. We are all born onto this earth and we all deserve to share in the resources of this earth. To deny another access to resources is a theft from that being.

These are human rights:

1. Clean air
2. Clean water
3. Clean food
4. Clothing
5. Shelter
6. Treatment when sick or injured
7. Community of care
8. Communication
9. Transportation
10. Job with dignity

[daredtowork]

13. It's a matter of getting a base under the pyramid

Where politicians - and thus programs and services - always get it wrong, is that they don't focus on housing/food security first. If those things aren't stable, people's lives will be chaos and they will continually lose whatever jobs they manage to get. If those things are stable, people will not only hang on to their jobs, they will accumulate experience, and perhaps begin to climb out of poverty by building careers or getting into a position where they can further their education.

Housing/food is the base of the pyramid. Then comes healthcare, transportation, and basic non-food necessities. And then, once someone is in the position of presenting themselves AS a human being, they can interact in a normal way in the community, and function normally in a job.

Right now it's just job search, job search, employment program, you're not really trying, push...push...push. And of course you will keep trying because of all the pressure and judgment and fear of imminent homelessness since you won't qualify for anything unless your disabilities are really extreme. But at the same time the people being pushed in this situation know why they probably won't be able to hold down jobs if they - by some weird twist of fate - manage to get one: lingering health problems that don't qualify as disabilities but still undermine work performance, bureaucratic overload that imposes a general disorganization and exhaustion that will continue to overlap with working life for a while, medications that don't jive well with the workplace since they make you fall asleep suddenly, etc.

These people are not "work ready" because the base of the pyramid isn't under them. Instead all the weight is of bureaucracy and people's judgments and contradictory demands are all pressing down from over *top* of them. This tends to push people toward homelessness, drugs, crime, mental illness, failure.

By the way, I have another DU post about another major Town Hall in the area where I attempted to speak about welfare issues. One of the things I wanted to "out" was how welfare applicants were all being threatened by constant police surveillance UP FRONT. Don't mistake this for prudent fraud checking, because the conditions they are asked to live under are impossible to meet, so it's basically a set up for arrest. Since California uses prison labor, you can guess the slave narrative that can come out of that.

[the_sly_pig]

3. At the risk of being flamed.....

First, I'd like to say that all your observations are legitimate. Though not a cop, I've worked with them as a 911 dispatcher for the past 14 years.

In my experience, the majority of 'welfare checks' are requested by someone that is concerned about someone else. That is not to say there are not abuses. There are those that will call the police to do a welfare check on another person as a means to harass. I would say 5% of welfare checks I dispatch are done for invalid reasons.

Though you may feel otherwise, it sounds like someone at your clinic was concerned enough about you to have someone check your welfare. There are many instances were welfare checks are requested and police find either an elderly person that has died due to a medical situation or some self-inflicted, lethal wound.

Additionally, police cannot deny a request for service. They have no choice but to respond and attempt contact. I am fully aware of all the opinions regarding how police respond and attempt contact. I don't attempt to change others' opinions, but in my experience officers are there to help.

If police show up at your door, they don't do that randomly. Someone has asked them to go there.

[daredtowork]

4. I'm not going to flame you

I appreciate the police were doing their jobs.

My point is the police shouldn't have been the ones to dothat job.

If the people at my medical clinic were so "concerned" about me, they could have called me to check that way first. They could have emailed. They could have even dropped by.

That's what I meant when I said I had invested (re: wasted) a lot of time in building personal relationships with these people. Not only should they have been able to understand my situation (which I talked about in a women's group weekly and to a social worker byweekly), they had previously felt free to call me, and even email me, for their stuff. I suppose "casual hanging out" is okay when done on their terms, but full professionalism has to kick in once I become a "welfare check"! That's the problem. There was the kind of relationship there where they could have just followed up with me instead of calling the police on me.

Somebody else mentioned that the law requires health professionals to call the police if I could be a danger to my self or others, blah, blah, blah...

If this is the case, why were the police showing up to do their "welfare check" three days after I had last had any contact with my medical clinic? By the "danger" theory I would have slashed my wrists or taken various and sundry hostages three days ago!

No, I was just puttering around my home, not even fully dressed, when the police knocked on my door. They knock very loud, by the way.

[the_sly_pig]

5. I agree with you.

I don't know if you'll find this helpful, but you can make a request for information about the case. You may have to show up in person at the PD, but you may be able to find out some information over the phone.

Usually, even the most busy police departments will dispatch a welfare check within two hours. You might be able to find out at what time of day and the date the call was made over the phone. I've never had someone wait 3 days to call in a welfare check. I'm not trying to be a nosey noodle but I can see medical personnel calling in a welfare check if you missed an appointment, even if the appointment was set in error.

Again, I'm not trying to argue, only suggesting.

The police are loud knockers!!! They knock on everyones door loudly (including mine when my son's friend thought it would be funny to dial 911 from my house and hang up. 3 cops showed up banging on my door!!). But again the reason for the loud knocking is that police are trained to 'establish a command presence'. Consequently, methods of 'establishing command presence', in my opinion, is where many problems begin. Rather than acquiesce, some citizens try to establish their own command presence which results in escalation.

Anyway, I'm blathering on. Good luck to you and hope you have good holiays...

[daredtowork]

10. Establishing a Command Presence IS Where Problems Begin

YES! This is what I'm trying to say! That was what I was trying to say at the Berkeley Council Meeting! This is why the police shouldn't be ad hoc substitutes for missing social services or degraded community ties no matter what a great police department they may be!

Thank you for putting it in the right words. Police establish a "command presence" where a command presence is not necessary, is not called far, and will probably just do a lot of psychological harm.

[Taitertots]

9. "Police can not deny a request for service" this is untrue

They only say that when it justifies their actions. In reality, there is no legal obligation to respond to calls.

[daredtowork]

11. Another DU Post Says the NYPD Will be Using "Extreme Discretion"

...in terms of picking and choosing when to do their jobs. Presumably this is their response to criticism of police misconduct and "overkill" responses that seem to militarize civilian situations.

[the_sly_pig]

14. That is an interesting opinion.

In 14 years dispatching I have never once heard an officer state "I'm not going". Dispatchers determine the severity and priority of an event. Dispatchers send cops. Cops respond to the location of the event. Police have discretion regarding anonymous complaints due to lack of probable cause. But again, an anonymous complaint regarding a barking dog is far different than an anonymous complaint of a drunk male beating up a female. They might not go to the former, but they will always respond to the latter.

Beyond that, cops go where I tell them to go. And I tell cops to go places because citizens call asking for assistance.

If I don't send cops or cops refuse to respond and someone gets hurt we can be held responsible for willful neglect. Nice and cozy between the rock and the hard place.

[Taitertots]

15. We agree. If someone calls the police, they don't have to show up.

If the police dispatcher tells them to respond, policy dictates that they should respond. But the dispatcher is part of the police department.

If the police (dispatcher or officer) determines that the call does not create a probable cause that a crime is being committed, there is no legal requirement for the police to show up. A welfare check is a call where there is no probable cause that a crime is being committed.

[the_sly_pig]

17. Of course you are right...

but you're right like Oliver North is correct he is not a convicted felon. Probable cause is achieved when we receive an emergency call for assistance. Police need a reason to be sent somewhere, the phone call is the documented reason. As a dispatcher, since I have no way of verifying someone's welfare from my dispatch chair, I send an officer. I am bound by duty to treat each callers concerns as legitimate until determined otherwise.

That being said, since I am not aware of a single welfare check where officers have been issued a warrant, citizens can always invoke their right to not answer the door or invite officers into their home.

All the dispatchers I know are civilians. They are not sworn officers. Suggesting that public concerns can be simply disregarded because someone feels they are not legitimate is not how police, fire or ambulance services operate.

Ultimately you are correct. I can choose to perform duties I was hired to perform and remain employed or I can choose not to perform duties I was hired to perform and be both sued and terminated.

[UglyGreed]

7. K&R

I'm so sorry you have to go through all this on top of your struggles with your medical problems.

[daredtowork]

12. Thank you :)

As long as I'm holding out against homelessness (which makes me damned lucky around here) I'm doing okay.

Hope your pain situation is improving.

[REP]

16. The hospital called in a Welfare Check after I left AMA

I had a procedure done through Outpatient Surgery. There was no anesthesia of any kind used, so there was no reason to hold me for post-anesthesia observation ... so I left. And they had a cop come and check on me. I am not poor but my health is. The cop didn't ask to come in and if he had, I wouldn't have allowed him in.

I had further procedures done in Outpatient Procedures, and didn't have to put up with that nonsense.

[daredtowork]

18. Why a cop?

I think it's great to follow up on a patient whose health is poor. But why is a cop doing this? He is not a trained medical professional. He is not trained in psychological or peer counseling. All he is trained in is exhibiting an authoritative presence for social control, putting suspected criminals under arrest, and dealing with crime scenes.

Society is inserting cops where cops shouldn't be because of the lack of local community services.

In small towns, churches used to provide this sort of social glue. I don't think it's appropriate that churches continue to play this role in a secular society because it places pressure on people to adhere to particular faiths just because they are poor and in need. But secular society needs to STEP UP and start putting together some community institutions to take over those old pastoral functions. COPS ARE NO SUBSTITUTE.

Cops, however well-meaning they might be, rip apart communities rather than build them up.

[Texasgal]

19. As an RN

I have the same issue with blood draws for DWI cases. The police have NO business drawing blood. It's an issue that has become a big deal even in my libby town of Austin, TX.

Cops do not know how to properly test blood.

[daredtowork]

20. It seems to me an accident could easily occur

Couldn't the needle slip and kill someone with an air bubble?

Why are police drawing blood instead of using breathalyzers? In fact, why aren't they just arresting people for behavior that's endangering others instead of going to extreme lengths to "prove" they imbibed a certain amount of alcohol?

[Texasgal]

21. Exactly.

Very concerned about the blood draws.

They use Breathalyzers but on "no refusal weekends" they use blood draws. Very concerned about that.

[daredtowork]

22. What's the motive?

Quotas for arrests? Trying to pump up court fees?

[REP]

24. I don't think an embolism can be caused with a blood draw

There are a lot of painful and unpleasant things than can happen when the needle is inserted improperly - blown veins, shattered veins, all sorts of bruises - but since nothing is being injected, there's no chance for air to introduced and cause an embolism.

[daredtowork]

25. Is there any chance for infections? nt

[REP]

27. Very low; everything is single use.

The biggest risks are what I have mentioned: collapsed veins, blown veins, hematomas, etc. All painful but not life-threatening. If it were possible to be killed by a bad stick, it'd be dead.

[REP]

23. Just guessing, but cops probably have better communications with EMTs, etc

The hospital had to assume than I am an average dumbfuck who doesn't know shit about my own health status or the procedure I had done. If that had been the case, and I had had some adverse reaction at home that necessitated emergency medical care, I can only assume a cop calling for EMTs might have a better response time than some concerned numb nuts calling 911.

Of course, since there was no reason for me to go through Outpatient Surgery in the first place the whole thing annoyed me, but I understand the CYA principle.

[daredtowork]

26. Why assume numb nuts?

If there is some trained group that does "welfare checks" other than the cops, they might get the appropriate or even better response from 911 (especially if they had medical training).

[REP]

28. We do have trained people to do welfare checks.

Most municipalities aren't going to pay for another group of people to do them, when ultimately the police may need to be involved anyway (deaths, missing persons, etc). Who would pay to train volunteers? I'm as unlikely to let a concerned stranger into my house as I am a cop, but if there were a real emergency, I believe the cop can get a better response than a civilian.

The welfare check done on me - an insured person not in financial difficulty - was annoying and not necessary yet I understood why they did it. I left AMA and though my procedure was very minor (PRP injection), I am a disabled person and the staff didn't know what PRP is and wanted to make sure I got home all right. Usually a nurse just calls me, but since I left AMA, they had to CYA.

[daredtowork]

29. A return to treating people with humanity and dignity

will ultimately be cheaper than cleaning up after riots and possible political revolution. Police infiltration into every part of the lives of the poor is traumatizing, and it is perceived as an authoritarian/militarized presence. People in the middle and upper classes are less aware of this because they have fewer negative points of contacts with the police, but as police are being used to replace social services, people at the bottom of the social scale have MANY negative contacts. And these contacts increase and social programs and mediating services collapse.

You can't project the fact you were okay with your welfare check on how it affects people who are in different categories of society. The police have to own up to what they have come to symbolize.