The New York Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation (OSI) released a report on the death of Alan Weber, a man who died after an altercation with the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) last year. The report, released yesterday by Attorney General Letitia James' office, outlines the incident where SCPD officers fatally shot Weber in East Northport on October 10, 2023. According to the OSI's findings, a prosecutor would likely not succeed in disproving at trial that the officer's use of deadly force was justified under New York law, citing the fact that Weber, who was armed with fencing swords, did not comply with orders and advanced towards the officers.
The incident began with 911 calls about a man yelling and breaking items inside a house. The responding officers found Weber at a window, where he was shouting and banging on it, failing to heed orders to open the door. Upon entering, they encountered Weber in the basement, brandishing the swords. Even after an officer's attempted taser deployment, which did not subdue Weber, he reportedly moved towards the officers prompting the shooting. "When Mr. Weber did not comply and instead took a step toward the officers with the swords in his hands, an officer deployed his taser in response," the Attorney General's office stated. "The taser failed to subdue Mr. Weber, who again advanced towards the officers." In these moments, it was decided that shooting Weber, subsequently leading to his death, was justified under the circumstances given the law and evidence.
In the wake of the investigation, the OSI recommended changes to how SCPD approaches scenarios involving individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. The OSI stressed the importance of crisis intervention training (CIT) for officers and advocated for the use of specialized units and crisis response teams when a situation does not pose an immediate danger. They acknowledged, however, in Weber's case, involving a civilian crisis team would not have been safe. Recommendations included a mandate for all SCPD officers to participate in the CIT program to better de-escalate such situations in the future.
The OSI's report also critiques current police response to mental health crises. Training all officers in CIT and the necessity of calling on specially trained personnel, such as the ESU officers or the DASH mobile crisis team, were highlighted. "The OSI also recommends that responding SCPD officers should first determine whether the person in crisis is an immediate danger to themselves or others," the DA's office explained. They suggested that if there's no immediate danger, SCPD officers should call for properly equipped support, indicating a move towards a more nuanced approach to mental health crises.
