Albuquerque police change policy on mentally ill suspects

the chief announced apd is taking steps to better track the mentally ill...and better train officers to deal with them. but the mother of one albuquerque man who was shot and killed says she wishes that would have been done years ago. eddie garcia is live where today's shooting took place with our big story. apd is out here right now reconstructing what happened. they're doing it a night---so it's dark just like it was early this morning earlier tonight, we talked to the mother of a mentally ill man who was killed by police last year. she agrees with the police chief that the shootings have to stop. today police chief ray schultz said police are now building a database cataloging where mentally ill people live. it's based on information voluntarily given by family members. we realize that this is very sensitive information dealing with somebody that has a long, lengthy and very complicated history with mental health issues. the chief also says officers will be trained on how to react towards a mentally ill person. i would tell the chief of police that it's not my fault that my son was schitzophrenic and it's not his fault that he was schitzophrenic and if it was his son how would he want him treated. sylvia fuentas son-- len-- was shot and killed by police last september. he suffered from schitzophrenia. she says - less than lethal force should always be the first action. it's not a cartel member that they're killing, it's not a drug dealer, it's not a killer, it's not any of those dangerous people to us - but the mentally ill. this is obviously one of those decisions where you have to make a split second decision and this is one of those situations that we will be reviewing very closely. i know that there's a lot of good policemen on the force, i know that the good outnumber the bad but there's always those few. she says she'll wait and see if police are handling situations with the mentally ill differenly -- but she says the specific training is long overdue. it's too late, it's to late -- for my son it's too late for a lot of people's sons. as police reconstruct this scene fuentes hopes more fatal incidents involving the mentally ill can be avoided.

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