PEA RIDGE, Ark. — On Aug. 8, at approximately 6:30 p.m., Pea Ridge officers were dispatched to a possible suicidal female who was armed with a knife and walking in the neighborhood just north of Windmill Estates.
Pea Ridge officers arrived at the scene and found a woman laying down in a cemetery located off of Weston Street.
Officers made contact with the woman and were able to subdue and disarm her without injury to her or the officers.
She was later assessed and transported by an ambulance to a nearby hospital for mental related treatments.
The Pea Ridge Police Department (PRPD) says this was an isolated incident that presents no danger to the public.
PRPD says it commends its officers as well as the paramedics and dispatchers for working together to peacefully help this person in need.
Watch: Reforming Police Response to Mental Health Calls | Daniel Pearson Hirdes | TEDxUW
The Fort Smith Police Department (FSPD) recently launched the Vulnerable Persons Database.
FSPD says the goal of the Vulnerable Persons Database is to help mentally impaired and other at-risk individuals get the help and ongoing assistance they need.
The service provides FSPD officers quick access to vital information on a vulnerable person who could be at risk, is entirely voluntary and will not be used to track criminal behavior.
The policy defines a vulnerable person as an individual who could be in need of community care services by reason of mental illness, developmental disability/delay, other disability, age, illness, or emotional disturbance and who is or may be unable to take care of or protect themselves against significant harm or exploitation.
Watch: Practices in Modern Policing: Serving Vulnerable Populations
