Resolution 000684

..Title Calling for a Public Hearing before the Joint Committees of Public Safety and Public Health and Human Services to investigate the untimely death of Mr. Robert Brown, a paranoid schizophrenia patient of the City of Philadelphia's Department of Public Health, Behavioral Health System. ..Body WHEREAS, Robert Brown, a 45-year-old West Philadelphia male diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was shot to death on Tuesday, July 18, 2000 at 30th Street Station by an AMTRAK Police Officer; and WHEREAS, Mr. Brown was shot in front of Mc Donald's during the lunchtime rush where many patrons including children could have also been harmed; and WHEREAS, Minutes prior to the shooting, AMTRAK Officers Kelly and Wahler chased Mr. Brown around 30th Street Station due to nuisance complaints; and WHEREAS, AMTRAK Officers Kelly and Wahler had access to non-lethal weapons to try and stop Mr. Brown to ensure his safety as well as the safety of the officers and the general public; and WHEREAS, Firearms and other fatal weapons should not be used as the first level of defense in responding to disturbance calls involving mentally ill persons in crisis; and WHEREAS, During the chase, Mr. Brown reportedly had the presence of mind to physically pick up a small child and move it out of harm's way to prevent injury; and WHEREAS, Officer Kelly, an 11 1/2 year veteran of the force, fired his gun, fatally wounding Mr. Brown in the abdomen; and WHEREAS, Several retailers were familiar with Mr. Brown and his mental state and reportedly complained the day before because they noticed a change in his behavior, whereby he was becoming more aggressive; and WHEREAS, Mr. Brown was a part of the City's Behavioral Health System, most recently an Intensive Case Management client and group therapy participant of the Consortium, A West Philadelphia Community Behavioral Health Provider; and WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia's Department of Health's Office of Behavioral Health has a known centralized crisis phone number that sends out a Mobile Emergency Team that could have taken Mr. Brown to one of the City's 5 Crisis Response Centers and/or contacted Mr. Brown's Intensive Case Manager; and WHEREAS, As the Fiscal Managers of the Behavioral Health System and its Managed Care Organization - Community Behavioral Health (CBH), City Council has the responsibility to its constituents and CBH consumers to investigate the incident to ensure that all coordinating City agencies and subcontractors followed (Quality Management) procedures and provided appropriate treatment services to protect Mr. Brown in his capacity as a patient of our Behavioral Health System to the fullest extent possible; now therefore RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby, request a public hearing before the Joint Committees of Public Safety and Public Health and Human Services to investigate the untimely death of Mr. Robert Brown, a paranoid schizophrenia patient of the City of Philadelphia's Department of Public Health, Behavioral Health System. ..End