Mental health teams not allowed near armed suspects

Even if one of the county's three Mobile Crisis Teams had been in Riviera Beach last Sunday morning when police futilely tried to talk down a suicidal 18-year-old, those mental health professionals would not have been allowed to talk to the college freshman, county police said.

"We cannot allow them to walk into a scene and risk their lives," said Lt. David Waltemeyer, county police spokesman, stressing that specially trained negotiators or veteran police officers do the talking. The two-man teams of psychologists, sociologists and social workers, he said, serve only as resources for the officers when they need help. "They are not...