The district attorney and the sheriff’s office have both found a Jasper police officer’s use of force on an elderly man with Alzheimer’s to be lawful, but the DA now strongly recommends the Jasper police and 911 dispatchers strengthen procedures for dealing with the mentally ill.
The family of Jack Eugene Godfrey, 71, requested an investigation of the Jasper Police Department after an August 10 incident in which Godfrey was injured while being taken into custody on charges of simple-battery/family violence. The family claimed excessive force was used and that officers were not informed Godfrey suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease.
See print edition of Sept. 24 |
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