Bierds discusses welfare checks and the role of law enforcement in mental health crises

MURRAY – When people are concerned about another’s well-being, they often contact law enforcement to request a welfare check. They are a routine, albeit unpredictable, part of police work. Murray Police Department (MPD) officers respond to hundreds of such calls every year with the goal of ensuring that individuals are safe and, when necessary, connecting them with support services.

While most welfare checks end peacefully, they can sometimes devolve into dangerous confrontations. Such was the case in August 2024, when a crisis hotline operator contacted MPD, requesting a welfare check on a man experiencing a mental health crisis. Today, that man, Matthew Johnson, 40, who is an honorably discharged veteran, is confined to a wheelchair and faces charges of wanton endangerment, terroristic threatening and attempted murder (peace officer).

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At Johnson’s preliminary hearing in March, MPD Patrol Officer Jacob Kramer testified that he was one of four MPD officers who initially responded to the call. Upon arrival, they attempted to make contact at the front door without success.

After observing Johnson walking through the house, officers then attempted to make contact at the back door. Kramer testified that, while he was behind the residence, Johnson opened the door, stepped out and told him, “Get the f—  off my lawn,” before shutting the door. In front of the home, officers, again, saw Johnson moving from room to room before temporarily losing sight of him.

All the while, according to Kramer, Johnson was communicating threats against police to the crisis hotline operator that he would “open fire” on officers, at first, if they entered his home, and later, if they did not leave.

Allegedly, when Johnson reappeared, he was armed with a rifle, which he pointed directly at one of the officers. They took cover, and an hours-long stand-off ensued. MPD called for assistance from the Marshall County Special Response Team (SRT) and secured an arrest warrant for wanton endangerment and terroristic threatening.

According to the Kentucky State Police (KSP), officers attempted to negotiate with Johnson with assistance from the crisis hotline operator but were ultimately unsuccessful as “Johnson refused to cooperate or work toward a peaceful resolution.” 

Around 2:30 a.m., SRT officers deployed gas into the residence. Johnson allegedly responded by firing his rifle at the officers, hitting one in the arm and leg, causing non-life-threatening injuries. The remaining officers then returned fire.

“Johnson was struck by officer gunfire and injured but remained inside the residence, ignoring officers’ requests to surrender for some time,” KSP stated in its press release. “Eventually, Johnson surrendered, at which time he was flown to a hospital in Nashville for medical treatment.”

Due to his extensive injuries and treatment needs, Johnson was not arrested until February. He currently has two cases progressing through Calloway Circuit Court related to that night. In one, he faces the first-degree wanton endangerment and third-degree terroristic threatening charges filed by MPD the night of the incident. The other is the result of a direct submission to the grand jury by KSP after its investigation of the officer-involved shooting was completed. Johnson faces four counts of attempted murder (peace officer) in that case.

Johnson’s next court appearance is scheduled for Monday, June 9, at 8:30 a.m.

Individuals charged with crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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But that call was just one of 651 welfare checks MPD conducted last year, Murray Police Chief Samuel Bierds told The Sentinel, and those calls ran the gamut from people concerned about a loved one they could not get in touch with to concerns for someone talking about taking their own life.

Regardless of the impetus for the call, department policy dictates that a minimum of two officers will respond. Because it is hard to anticipate what officers will encounter when they arrive – for example, if an elderly person has fallen and cannot move, officers may have to force entry in order to get to them – “it’s always good just to have somebody else there,” Bierds said.

There are also times when a supervisor may decide to send more than two officers to conduct a welfare check, particularly when someone is threatening self-harm. He advised those decisions largely depend on the information obtained by the dispatcher during the initial call and whether those details indicate a potentially dangerous situation, such as the presence of weapons in the residence.

“Generally, what the officers are going to do in that situation is respond to the residence; they’re going to attempt to make contact with the subject of the welfare check,” Bierds explained. “We have to keep in mind that one thing the officers have to balance is a person’s constitutional rights with our duty to preserve life and property. If someone is not wanting to talk to us or not wanting to get help, and there are no obvious signs that this person is mentally ill and a danger to self or others, then, most of the time, we’re going to have to disengage.”

MPD officers receive crisis intervention training, which equips them with the verbal skills necessary to talk to and reason with people in crisis. The training also emphasizes using the “least restrictive means possible” to connect individuals with the services they need.

“If we can get somebody to the hospital or to a crisis center, a mental health center, voluntarily, that’s always better than an involuntary process,” the chief said. “It doesn’t always work out that way, but I will say that a vast majority of mental health welfare checks that result in treatment do come about as a result of a voluntary decision on the part of the subject of the welfare check to get that help. And rarely, on occasion, yeah, there are the situations where we have to take somebody into custody for an involuntary mental health evaluation, but those are not nearly as common.”

“I want to be clear – it is not against the law to be mentally ill.”

When that does happen, the individual is not transported to jail, the chief explained. Rather, they are taken to a qualified mental health professional for an evaluation. If they do not require hospitalization and are deemed to not be a danger to themselves or others, officers return them home.

On that note, Bierds cautioned that “what you see on the surface isn’t always what’s actually going on.” He said it is a common misconception among the general public that whenever someone is taken into custody, it is because they are being arrested; even if an individual is handcuffed when they are placed in the back seat of an officer’s car, that is not necessarily the case.  

“Again, least restrictive means possible,” he said. “Maybe this person is experiencing a full-blown psychosis episode, and that’s how we’re going to get that person to treatment safely without harming themselves.”

And that is not something onlookers or the broader public may know, he acknowledged, because MPD does not put out press releases about such encounters out of respect for that individual’s privacy.

“I want to be clear; it is not against the law to be mentally ill,” Beirds said. “It’s not a crime. The days of criminalizing mental health are long passed. That’s not our focus, and it never has been. Our focus, as a police department – and in the law enforcement profession as a whole – is to get people in touch with the resources they need to get the help they need. I am confident in saying that our officers here in Murray really take that seriously.”

While it is not a crime, he noted there are times when mentally ill people commit crimes, and that “changes the scenario a little bit. If a crime is committed, then that has to be addressed as well.”

Presently, there are two defendants facing charges in Calloway Circuit Court for alleged criminal acts that took place after mental health welfare checks.

Bierds said it is unfortunate that, in many communities, law enforcement agencies are the only ones available to help when someone is experiencing a mental health crisis. “When you don’t know who else to call, we’re open 24 hours a day, and we’re going to respond.”

The problem actually extends beyond mental health. Due to a general lack of services nationwide, officers are often called upon to act as family counselors and civil mediators, among other things. Regarding interactions between officers and people experiencing a mental health crisis, Bierds advised that, in his opinion, many of those contacts could be averted altogether with early intervention.

“I mean, goodness, it’s such a massive problem. How do you eat an elephant?” he exclaimed. “We’ve just got to try and figure it out the best way we can. We have people on our force who are trained in crisis negotiation, and we call mental health professionals when we can. We really take those steps to try to mitigate a bad situation before it turns bad.”

To that end, Bierds acknowledged that sometimes having mental health professionals on-scene might be helpful, as has been demonstrated in some pilot programs. He noted there have been some promising findings; nonetheless, he has concerns about being able to implement a system that keeps all parties involved safe.

“There are times when dealing with someone who is in mental crisis can turn incredibly dangerous,” he cautioned. “… You don’t want to always look at worst case and think that every situation is going to degrade into a life-or-death situation like that because, clearly, 651 welfare checks in the calendar year and, you know, for the most part, they all resolved peacefully. But I think we would be remiss in our duties if we didn’t at least prepare for the worst-case scenario and always have an option for that.”

Bierds said that he never “closes the door” to any idea, but there is also no one-size-fits-all solution to the problem. As pilot programs that involve health counselors in the response to mental health calls continue to be tested across the country, he said some alternative practices may be developed that would be appropriate – and affordable – for the city to implement.

In the meantime, while law enforcement may not be the “best” option for assisting someone who is in crisis, he said right now, they are “the” option.

“We’re out here 24 hours a day; and if somebody is in danger of harming themselves or someone else due to a mental condition, we’re going to go, make contact and check on that person and try to get them help,” Bierds affirmed. “And hopefully, everything will work out the best way with our experience and training.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, help is available. Contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.