DOJ finds Oklahoma City police discriminate against people with behavioral disabilities

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma City and its police department have discriminated against people with behavioral health disabilities, the U.S. Department of Justice said Friday after releasing the latest in a series of investigations into state and local law enforcement agencies.

In its 45-page report, the DOJ found the city unnecessarily institutionalizes adults with mental illness and that the police department often escalates crisis situations by responding with armed officers instead of with behavioral health professionals.

“As a result, urgent mental health needs often go unaddressed and crisis situations are needlessly escalated, sometimes leading to avoidable use of force,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement.

Oklahoma City and police Chief Ron Bacy both said Thursday they were still reviewing the report.

The report said the DOJ launched the investigation in 2022 after receiving a complaint but did not provide further details. The agency, through a spokesperson, declined to comment further.

The probe in Oklahoma is one of 12 similar investigations opened by the DOJ since April 2021. Many have been in response to high-profile deaths at the hands of police, including George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky. Other completed investigations all found patterns of illegal police practices.

The DOJ concluded in its findings report that it intends to work with city and state officials to reach a resolution to their findings but added that if a resolution couldn’t be reached, the agency could file a lawsuit to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In separate statements, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond and Gov. Kevin Stitt acknowledged the need for improvements to the state’s mental health system but were critical of the DOJ under President Joe Biden for what they characterized as federal overreach.

“We will closely review the findings, but the DOJ report appears to be an attempt to bully Oklahoma into compliance with ever-changing and undefined targets,” Drummond said.