Friday, September 8, 2023

Wellness check, no 4th 4 U

I was reading about welfare/wellness checks conducted by the police. Some of these have resulted in death. Police conduct those on people if someone calls them stating they think that person has mental health issues. The cops don't need a warrant to force entry into your home for a wellness check. This is do gooderism gone horribly wrong.
A cop is neither a psychiatrist or psychologist, and is in no way fit to determine anyone's mental health. Anyone can call a wellness check on anyone. So it could be a relative who is legitimately concerned, but it could just as easily be some asshole out to get you hassled by the cops. When a cop shows up you have no right to silence. If you refuse to talk to the cop they can drag you by force to a psych hospital. If you resist they will beat or kill you. From what I read the smartest thing is to go outside, close your door behind you and tell the cop you are fine. See, if you let the cop in, they can and will use that excuse to snoop around looking for anything illegal. Even if you meet them outside, a particularly nasty cop can still insist on entry to your domicile.
Now if someone does legitimately have mental problems, or is just really upset because they got some bad news, the last person they want to see is a cop. Unless you are actively being mugged no one likes forced encounters with the police.
Naturally someone who is upset or mentally unstable will get more so after encountering a cop. And naturally the cop will escalate that situation till it becomes violent. Police should not be allowed to force contact with people who are not crime suspects just because some nervous ninny relative or spiteful asshole makes a phone call. During a wellness check you have no rights, you can only tell the cop you are ok in a polite, calm tone of voice and hope he goes away.