When Patrol Officer Tyree White responded to the Chakraborty household’s 911 name about their 22-year-old son, Jabez, experiencing a psychotic break, he arrived at their house in Queens educated to deal with this probably risky scenario.
He’d accomplished all 4 days of NYPD coaching on responding to folks in disaster and had been licensed as a member of the division’s Disaster Intervention Group (CIT). He’d additionally taken a separate NYPD course in easy methods to deal with an involuntary psychological well being removing.
In all of those courses, White had been urged to keep away from utilizing pressure throughout interactions with folks in disaster, to do all the pieces attainable to de-escalate what might be a tense dynamic and to speak the topic of the decision into cooperating.
In a matter of seconds within the Chakraborty house, all of that went out the window.
As Officer White stepped into the household’s lounge, Jabez — standing within the kitchen — picked up a big kitchen knife and commenced advancing towards him. White immediately drew his service revolver and aimed it at Jabez, shouting, “Put down the knife!”
White backed out of the room into an entrance vestibule and shut a glass door between him and Jabez, however Jabez pushed his method inside. White then fired 4 instances, critically injuring Jabez.
There was no time for de-escalation and dialogue. Your entire interplay took 16 seconds. Jabez, who stays hospitalized, now faces a felony cost of tried assault.
The NYPD has touted the coaching White obtained as a vital tactic in its effort to scale back the variety of police responses to people in psychological well being crises that flip violent and generally deadly. It has tried to increase the variety of cops receiving this coaching, making it a part of the police academy curriculum in 2017.
Officers interviewed by THE CITY agreed that this coaching has helped them keep away from calamitous outcomes whereas responding to what the NYPD refers to as 911 EDP calls (for emotionally disturbed individuals). Hundreds of those calls have been resolved annually with out using pressure. When the de-escalation and dialogue coaching is profitable, the individual agrees to be transported to a hospital or go along with a member of the family with out incident.
It doesn’t at all times work out that method.
In eight incidents since 2019 the place cops wound up both capturing or tasing the topic of a 911 psychological well being name, the officers concerned had been educated in disaster intervention, a evaluation of NYPD information by THE CITY discovered. That included six encounters the place the topic was killed.
These disastrous interactions have fueled a want from elected officers and advocates for psychological well being care reforms to take away the NYPD from responding to those calls as a lot as attainable. This no-police notion, in reality, is central to Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s deliberate Division of Group Security.
Mamdani favors drastically increasing an present program generally known as B-HEARD that sends psychological well being professionals to calls dispatchers deem non-violent as a substitute of police. (He’s but to disclose particulars of the proposed new company, however promised to speed up its inception after Jabez Chakraborty was shot).
“The mayor believes it is important that the police department follow effective, evidence-based training practices,” spokesperson Sam Raskin mentioned in response to THE CITY’s questions. “The Mamdani administration is evaluating how we can improve our city’s current system of responding to people experiencing mental health issues — both through early intervention and in moments of crisis — while working to develop a more holistic approach to these challenges through the Department of Community Safety.”
As a result of the overwhelming majority of 911 psychological well being calls are deemed by dispatchers to be probably violent, cops wind up responding to almost all of those calls. Within the first half of fiscal 2026, THE CITY discovered, 86% of 911 psychological well being calls triggered a police response.
“I think you have to send police to the great majority of these scenes,” mentioned Brian Stettin, the senior advisor to the mayor on psychological well being points underneath Eric Adams. “I’ve seen estimates that as many as half of crisis calls might be diverted from the police, but I consider that a very rosy estimate.”
On condition that police will doubtless proceed to deal with many of those calls underneath no matter new system Mamdani units up, CIT coaching will proceed to play a task within the ongoing effort to scale back the variety of NYPD interactions that go awry.
4 Days of Coaching
The NYPD has acknowledged its purpose is to coach all cops in disaster intervention, and whereas the variety of CIT-certified cops has fluctuated over time, it’s since risen from 14,000 in 2022 to 22,360 this 12 months. That’s two-thirds of the NYPD’s 33,950 uniformed officers.
At present the four-day coaching consists of separate “modules”:
— Half One was till lately listed as “Sending the Right Signal” to the individual in disaster, however final June the NYPD added a coaching referred to as Integrating Communications, Evaluation and Ways that particularly drills down on de-escalating interactions the place the topic of the decision is armed with a weapon aside from a firearm.
— Half Two consists of instruction on psychological well being legislation, discussions with people with particular issues describing their private experiences and prior interactions with legislation enforcement, and function taking part in the place officers confront situations with actors portraying people with schizophrenia or displaying suicidal ideation.
— Half Three continues with extra simulated disaster conditions, addressing how to reply to particular diagnoses together with character issues, nervousness, and PTSD.
— Half 4 presents situations concerning responding to people with growth issues, anti-social character dysfunction, autism and dementia.
There have additionally been separate courses obtainable on dealing with involuntary psychological well being removals, “tactics when engaging individuals in a mental health crisis” and “successfully disarming an EDP.”
A 2017 Division of Investigation report that advisable drastically increasing this coaching provided extra element, noting that officers had been instructed to “avoid provoking subject and take necessary time, establish dialogue,” “de-escalate if possible” and “allow officers to use discretion to avoid hospitalization when appropriate.”
In response to a question by THE CITY, Police Benevolent Affiliation President Patrick Hendry praised the coaching, however acknowledged that the advanced nature of those encounters generally requires that the police present up.
An officer assigned to the sixth Precinct within the Village who has responded regularly to 911 psychological well being calls and obtained disaster intervention coaching on the academy, mentioned, “Most of the time [the training] is pretty effective.”
The officer, who spoke to THE CITY on situation of anonymity as a result of he’s not approved to talk with the press, described a latest encounter with a person whose mother and father had referred to as the NYPD to say their son was speaking about killing himself. The officer discovered the person in a parking storage and spoke calmly with him, convincing him to get into an ambulance for transport to a close-by emergency room.
A sergeant assigned to patrol public housing developments who has obtained disaster intervention coaching recalled a girl who got here at him with a baseball bat. He was capable of get the bat away with out utilizing pressure. Normally, he mentioned, the thought is “keep as much space between yourself and these people.”
Each of those cops, nonetheless, additionally made clear these interactions don’t at all times go so easily.
“The main thing with EDPs is to slow things down and take your time. You have to be really, really patient,” mentioned the officer assigned to the Village. “Unfortunately, training is just a tool. Dealing with the emotionally disturbed is very unpredictable.”
The officer famous that “cops realize that their presence changes the dynamic automatically. It’s hard to come into someone’s home and tell them we have to take you away … Nobody wants to be told that.”
Stettin, Adams’ advisor on psychological well being, famous that in some instances, there’s no time for cops — even these with CIT coaching — to de-escalate: “If it’s just the appearance of police,before they even say a word, the person is triggered by the sighting of the police.here’s no training in the world that’s going to avoid those tragedies.”
With Chakraborty, physique digital camera footage reveals that the second the police entered his household’s lounge on Jan. 26, he grabbed a knife and commenced advancing in direction of them, pushing previous his mom, Juli, who tried to carry him again. The time between “first encounter” and “shots fired” was 16 seconds.
Jabez Chakraborty’s was recorded on NYPD physique digital camera footage approaching officers with a knife after they responded to a 911 name about Chkraborty having a schizophrenia episode inside his household’s Queens house, Jan. 26, 2026. Credit score: By way of NYPD physique digital camera footage
THE CITY examination of the eight instances since 2019 that resulted in CIT-trained police capturing or tasing a topic revealed that even when the officers tried dialogue, the scenario generally culminates in tragedy.
Ruth Lowenkron, director of the Incapacity Rights Program at New York Legal professionals for the Public Curiosity, which has filed a category motion lawsuit over police interventions in psychological well being calls, mentioned the eight instances reviewed by THE CITY clarify CIT “can’t be the answer.”
“Police are never going to be the right people to respond,” mentioned Lowenkron, who’s additionally on the steering committee of Right Disaster Intervention Right this moment (CCIT), a gaggle that advocates for zero police response to psychological well being calls. “You can train them up the wazoo but they are not going to be the right people. That’s not casting aspersions on any one police officer. It’s about the training to suspect danger everywhere and to be hyper vigilant in eliminating any danger. But that’s just not the right mindset in responding to people in a health crisis.”
Warmth of the Second
THE CITY’s evaluation discovered that within the warmth of the second, the coaching can play out in another way with totally different officers.
Final December, law enforcement officials Amada DelaRosa and Rocharlie PointDujour responded to a 911 name from a household saying their son, Chez Fray, was experiencing a psychotic break. NYPD officer historical past information present each had obtained disaster coaching: DelaRosa had taken courses on “People in Crisis” and “Mental Health Involuntary Removals,” and PointDujour had obtained three of 4 CIT coaching modules.
Each officers had been talking with relations within the hallway of their condo constructing in Far Rockaway when Chez emerged with a field cutter in hand. In physique digital camera footage DelaRosa could be seen instantly pointing her taser at him, whereas PointDujour goals her service weapon. For a number of minutes they repeatedly order him to drop the field cutter. At one level DelaRosa shouted, “I’m going to tase him.” Seconds later PointDujour, pointing her pistol at Fray, shouted, “I’m going to shoot!”
DelaRosa responded, “No!”
NYPD officers fatally shot Chez Fray after he superior at them holding a field cutter after relations made a 911 name that he was expertise a psychotic break insider their Far Rockaway house in 2025. Credit score: Screengrab by way of NYPD Physique Digicam Footage
Chez’s father then tried to wrestle the weapon away from him, however Chez pushed him apart and commenced advancing towards the cops. DelaRosa fired her taser. PointDujour fired her service weapon. Chez was pronounced lifeless hours later. The capturing is now underneath investigation by state Lawyer Basic Letitia James’ Workplace of Particular Investigation which examines the circumstances surrounding some deadly police shootings.
The sort of dramatic distinction between officers additionally emerged within the April 2019 capturing of Kawaski Trawick. Each officers concerned had obtained disaster intervention coaching shortly earlier than the incident: Officer Brendan Thompson three months earlier, and Officer Herbert Davis simply three days previous to responding to a 911 name that wound up with each officers standing inside Trawick’s Bronx condo.
Officers Davis and Thompson entered the condo to see Trawick standing at his range cooking, holding a knife in a single hand and a stick within the different. Virtually instantly each pulled out their tasers and commenced repeatedly ordering him to drop the knife. Trawick repeatedly requested them why they had been inside his condo.
Davis and Thompson then proceeded to strategy this confrontation in another way.
Although each officers had been now wielding tasers, Davis suggested Thompson, “We ain’t gonna tase him.” Thompson then unholstered his service weapon as properly, triggering Davis to push down Thompson’s arm with the gun whereas stating, “No, no. Don’t, don’t, don’t.”
Physique digital camera footage reveals when Trawick started strolling towards the officers, shouting, “Get out bitch! I’m going to kill you all!” Davis aimed his taser however didn’t hearth, whereas Thompson fired 4 photographs. Trawick was pronounced lifeless on the scene.
The unbiased police watchdog, the Civilian Criticism Overview Board (CCRB), substantiated unlawful entry and extreme pressure costs in opposition to each officers and sought disciplinary costs at an inner NYPD trial. An administrative decide dismissed the case, discovering that CCRB hadn’t proved the officers broke any legal guidelines.
A nonetheless from video footage reveals an NYPD officer capturing into the condo the place Kawaski Trawick was standing. Trawick, pictured at proper, was hit twice and killed. Credit score: First picture: Surveillance footage; Second picture: Instagram.
The Trawick interplay unfolded over about two minutes. Within the case of George Zapantis, a 29-year-old man identified with bipolar dysfunction, officers engaged in a dialogue with him for 10 minutes after they responded in June 2020 to a name about folks preventing.
Standing outdoors the door of his Flushing, Queens, condo, they may see him inside wearing a gladiator outfit holding a sword. Zapantis appeared “confused and agitated,” the legal professional normal’s investigators later asserted, and physique digital camera footage reveals he adamantly refused to let officers inside his condo.
The officers informed them they needed his “side of the story” a couple of dispute he was having with an upstairs neighbor, and acknowledged they “just wanted to talk.” Zapantis mentioned he was calling for the Marines and “for my own police.” He put down the sword, however then pushed the door open and got here on the officers — unarmed. 4 of them then tased him in succession. Zapantis suffered a coronary heart assault and was pronounced lifeless quickly after.
NYPD officer historical past information present a minimum of 4 of the officers on the scene — together with three who engaged their tasers — had obtained CIT coaching a 12 months earlier. (Zapantis’ household filed swimsuit in 2021 and reached a $550,000 settlement with the town in Might).
Language Boundaries Exacerbate Tensions
In different incidents, regardless of the CIT coaching, language was a barrier.
In March 2023, the daddy of Raul de la Cruz referred to as 311 to say by means of a Spanish interpreter that his son was having a psychological well being disaster and wanted assist. The operator transferred the decision to 911 and the police who had been dispatched had been informed “EDP has a weapon” and is “violent.”
Upon arrival Officers Derek Bernard and Nicholas Trupia — neither of whom speaks Spanish — met the daddy outdoors his Bronx condo constructing. As they had been making an attempt in useless to speak with him, the son got here out holding a kitchen knife.
Physique digital camera footage reveals each cops instantly drew their firearms and pointed them at de la Cruz, who was standing far-off from them — about 15 toes away. Immediately they started yelling at him in English to drop the knife. De la Cruz speaks solely Spanish. Inside moments of encountering de la Cruz, each officers opened hearth, severely injuring him.
Not less than one of many cops, Bernard, was absolutely educated in CIT. NYPD information for Trupia weren’t within the officer historical past system. CCRB later discovered Officer Bernard used extreme pressure and advisable that he be fired. The police commissioner rejected the board’s suggestion and issued no punishment. Officer Trupia resigned earlier than the CCRB probe was full. (A lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court docket by de la Cruz’s household is pending.)
Language additionally performed a task within the April 2025 capturing of King Wong, a 60-year-old identified with schizophrenia who speaks solely Mandarin. He had lived along with his mother and father for years and each had lately died. The 911 calls got here in as “man with knife” strolling within the streets of Astoria, Queens, and there’s no indication the cops despatched to the scene had any indication of his psychological historical past.
NYPD officers responded to a 911 name of a person holding a knife in Astoria earlier than fatally capturing 60-year-old schizophrenic man King Wong in 2025. Credit score: Screengrab by way of NYPD Video Digicam Footage
If they’d checked, they’d have realized that on two latest prior events, police had been dispatched to his condo constructing when he’d inadvertently wandered right into a neighbor’s condo (with out incident). It’s not clear whether or not data of Wong’s historical past may have knowledgeable how they responded. What is obvious in physique digital camera footage is that the minute Patrol Officer Kendouchy Coissy noticed Wong, he put his cruiser in park, jumped out into the road and commenced shouting, “Put the fucking knife down!” whereas pointing his service revolver at Wong.
Wong responded in Mandarin and continued strolling. Coissy and two different officers, all with weapons drawn, adopted him. When he turned in direction of them, all three shot him. Whole interplay time: 56 seconds. Wong, who lay on the bottom nonetheless holding the knife, was pronounced lifeless later that day.
Officer Coissy had obtained coaching in “mental health involuntary removals” and three of the 4 modules of CIT, together with “sending the right signals” and the “Intro to CIT video series.” King’s capturing is now underneath investigation by Lawyer Basic James.
At instances, the complexities of those incidents impressed totally different responses from totally different oversight entities.
In December, James declined to file costs in opposition to the cops within the case of 19-year-old Win Rozario, fatally shot in March 2024. The CCRB took a distinct place, discovering that the 2 CIT-trained officers concerned, Salvatore Alongi and Matthew Cianfrocco, had used extreme pressure and abused their authority throughout a response to a March 2024 psychological well being name by Rozario’s household.
Moments earlier than law enforcement officials from the 102nd Precinct in Ozone Park, Queens, shot and killed Win Rozario on March 27, 2024, as his mom tried to guard him. Credit score: Screengrab by way of NYPD Physique Digicam Footage
The officers entered the household’s Queens condo to seek out Rozario and his mom within the kitchen. Physique digital camera footage reveals that when Rozario noticed them he reached right into a drawer and pulled out scissors. Officer Alongi instantly hit him with a taser.
His mom, Notan Eden Costa, wrested the scissors from Rozario and positioned them on a chair. As she pleaded with the officers to not shoot, Alongi tasered Rozario once more, although he now not had a weapon in his fingers. This prompted Rozario to once more choose up the scissors and start advancing in direction of them. Cianfrocco instantly fired one shot along with his service weapon.
Rozario stumbled again into the kitchen as his mom and youthful brother tried to defend him from the police. Cianfrocco then fired 4 extra photographs. Rozario was pronounced lifeless a number of hours later.
Cianfrocco, a 10-year veteran of the NYPD, had obtained coaching in “Successfully Disarming an EDP” in 2019 together with two modules of CIT coaching, together with one on “active listening.” He’d additionally considered the CIT “Responding to People in Crisis” video collection in 2018.
Alongi, who solely fired his taser, had obtained one module of CIT coaching in 2018 and a second in 2022.
In September, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch notified each officers the division would pursue disciplinary motion in opposition to them. Each face departmental trials with the potential for dismissal.
Associated
