Many of us in our community have been following the story of 17-year-old Cedric Lofton. He’s the young man that was removed from life support two days after he became unresponsive while in Sedgwick County’s custody at the Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center on Sept. 24, 2021.
My heartfelt condolences go out to the CJ Lofton family. This was a death that should not have happened. I am so sorry this young man lost his life while in our facility.
The District Attorney concluded after a nearly four-month investigation that criminal charges will not be filed against any of the staff or police officers that interacted with Mr. Lofton that night. I am not qualified to second-guess the DA’s decision so my focus will remain on the things I can change. There are plenty of issues we should review to establish better policies and procedures.
Here are some ideas I am considering already:
Mental health: When it is known that someone is in a mental health crisis, they need to be connected to a mental health professional as a top-level priority. The JIAC facility’s normal processing may connect an incoming juvenile to a mental health professional but if a mental health crisis is apparent, the person should go directly to a mental health facility. Sadly, in this case, the WPD officers chose to deliver Cedric to JIAC instead of a mental health facility.
Technology: The JIAC facility must have a surveillance video upgrade to include audio evidence.
Security: When law enforcement hands off someone off to JIAC, if they know the person has been combative, a law enforcement officer should be required to stay at the facility until the processing and proper placement is completed.
Physical needs: When someone is being taken into custody, care needs to be taken to ensure the basic safety and security needs of the person are being met. If they need a health assessment, that should be completed as soon as possible. If someone is in the process of being cuffed or shackled, it may be necessary to lay them in a prone position for a moment but time in that position should be minimized. This needs to be explicit policy.
Wrap restraints: These devices are very effective but their use on anyone struggling with mental anguish is likely to cause excessive anxiety. I plan to testify on HB2200 to ask for a state prohibition on the use of WRAP restraints. They have been in use in Wichita for less than two years.
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