Veteran’s sister challenges law enforcement’s PTSD policies

An Army of One
Veteran’s sister challenges law enforcement’s PTSD policies
By Marisa Demarco


Jonelle Ellis hasn’t done much public speaking. She's never been involved in politics. But for the last six months or so, she's helped create a bill and convinced legislators in Santa Fe to carry it

Ellis' brother, a 25-year-old Iraq War veteran, was shot and killed a year ago on Jan. 13, 2010, by Albuquerque police. Kenneth Ellis III stepped out of his car with a gun to his head in front of the 7-Eleven at Constitution and Eubank.

She'd talked to her baby brother just a few days earlier. He wanted to go to the movies. "He was telling me about his son and his life," she says. "He was very positive. It's hard to listen to them say 'suicide by cop.' ”

Jonelle, a Veterans Affairs nurse, says her brother suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and couldn't sleep because of hideous nightmares. "He was active in trying to survive mentally what he had gone through in Iraq." He was doing all the right things to get better, she adds.

The Kenneth Ellis III Act seeks to beef up crisis intervention training for law enforcement officers and emphasizes how they handle people with mental impairments. The training would be mandatory statewide for 911 personnel and police—cadets and longtime officers alike. 2010 saw a spike in the number of officer-involved shootings in Albuquerque; 14 people were shot, and nine of them died. If it’s passed, the legislation will go into effect on July 1.

Frances Crockett is a civil rights lawyer who, along with attorneys Shannon and Joe Kennedy, filed a wrongful death lawsuit for the Ellises in late May. Crockett drafted the legislation after researching other programs around the country. She spoke with the officers who teach Houston's crisis curriculum, and they said the additional education made a big difference in how the police force responds to calls. “Its been a tremendous benefit, because it provides officers with a better understanding about mental illness,” says Frank Webb, a senior officer with Houston’s training program. “It teaches them the tactics and techniques for safely handling someone in a state of crisis.”

The training in Albuquerque is "bare bones," Crockett says, so the measure aims to add on to what's already in place. Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz says the department already does more crisis education than what’s called for in the bill. Crockett says the training the bill requires would be more focused.
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Veteran’s sister challenges law enforcement’s PTSD policies