Crime is perhaps the biggest topic on the minds of New Yorkers over the last year. With headline after headline showcasing random attacks such as straphangers being tackled onto subway tracks and the murder of veteran EMS Lieutenant Alison Russo-Elling in Queens, the NYPD revealed startling statistics that point to many of these violent assaults being committed by those with a history of mental illness rather than being premeditated crimes.
“Arrive alive” is the mantra police dispatchers recite to officers when answering to 911 calls, however, a vast majority of these first responders are also warned that many of the responding locations have a history of EDP —also known as emotionally disturbed persons.
