By Scott Sandlin
Albuquerque Journal
ALBUQUERQUE — Roswell Police Chief Dennis Kintigh says the public treasury was “looted” and officers were vilified by a $1.25 million settlement with the family of a mentally ill man who died after being Tasered multiple times during a scuffle with them.
Kintigh called the death of Javier Aguilar a tragedy, but said Aguilar “had a long and troubled history with law enforcement going back to the 1980s.”
Aguilar, who was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, had a history of fighting and disorderly conduct, he said.
“The other point is Mr. Aguilar was a very large man, over 300 pounds, so large that when they finally put restraints on him, they had to use two sets of cuffs ... Our officers struggled with this man, and during the struggle, one of the officers was in a headlock. Mr. Aguilar had his arms around officer’s neck. That’s a life-threatening situation,” Kintigh said.
Kintigh called a news conference to discuss the settlement with Aguilar’s family, who sued the city alleging wrongful death and civil rights violations by police. He said police had been gagged while the litigation was pending.
Contrary to a statement by the family’s lawyer, Kintigh said interviews make clear that Counseling Associates, the agency that handled Aguilar’s home care, had a commitment order on Aguilar and had “initiated contact” with police. He also said State Police and the Chaves County Sheriff ‘s Office jointly conducted an investigation with Roswell police of the incident.
“Every day we ask officers to do incredibly difficult jobs,” he said. “Arguably one of most difficult is dealing with individuals with severe mental health issues.”
How society meets challenges presented by mental illness is a larger question, said Kintigh, who is also a state representative for District 57. “This is beyond law enforcement, and more of legislative question is where do we go as a society in dealing with mental health individuals in meeting their needs. And that’s not the job of the police department,” he said.
Copyright 2010 Albuquerque Journal