Pubdate: Wed, 14 May 2008
Source: Mayerthorpe Freelancer (CN AB)
Copyright: 2008 The Freelancer
Contact:  http://www.mayerthorpefreelancer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/733
Author: Melissa Hamelin
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/excited+delirium (excited delirium)

RCMP FACING A NEW DRUG INDUCED THREAT

Their perpetrator is sweaty, making animal noises and likely to 
either run or become violent. They are not carrying a weapon or 
likely to get behind the wheel, but they are an RCMP officers worst nightmare.

Excited delirium is defined as "a state of extreme mental and 
physiological excitement, characterized by extreme agitation, 
hyperthermia, hostility, exceptional strength and endurance without 
apparent fatigue, a condition that many RCMP officers across the 
country are facing when a believed combination of an unknown mental 
state and heavy drugs that can cause individuals to become delirious, 
violent, and dangerous.

Constable James Murray, with the Mayerthorpe RCMP, spoke on this 
topic to members of the Lac Ste. Anne Rural Crime Watch, as well as 
members of his own detachment.

"We are seeing this more in the cities because of the variety of 
drugs...it is mainly occurring in the cities at this point, but my 
reason for bringing this up to members is to let them know that this 
is occurring and this could be something that they could be facing in 
this area," he explained, adding that because of the drug volume and 
the presence in our area, this could be something that we RCMP could 
see in the future.

Murray explained that a lot of research is being done to understand 
this new issue and that it is not known what causes this state, but 
it is believed to be large quantities of hard drugs, possibly in 
combination with each other.

"From a police perspective, this is the nightmare that we are seeing 
because of the different types of drugs that are out there and the 
combinations," Murray explained. "People are not just using the 
marijuana anymore. What [drug dealers] are starting to do is lace the 
marijuana joints with crack," Murray said, explaining that because 
crack is more addictive, dealers will put it in with the marijuana so 
that their 'clients' will ingest it unknowingly.

"In return, after [the client] has tried it, they have that taste, 
they have that addiction and the dealer will say, 'hey do you want to 
buy some crack now?"

Murray gave an example of a break and enter case in the United States 
to illustrate this condition. In this scenario, a gentleman was 
trying to break into a barbershop. The suspect had removed his 
clothes, was sweating profusely, had been shot twice in the arm by 
the owner, and it still took 12 officers to bring him down. The 
suspect was so out of it during the incident that he reportedly kept 
shouting to police, 'put it in the bag.'

"When the police come on scene, it is the 'fight or flight syndrome' 
where (the suspect) will either want to fight with you physically or 
they will want nothing to do with you and run away." Murray 
explained. People with this condition have more than a possible 
criminal record to worry about.

"When these people are at this level of excitement...they go from an 
extreme high, they eventually get restrained by the police and nine 
times out of 10 what ends up happening is that their body starts to 
relax, their heart rate goes down and they die," Murray explained.

Although the many deaths of persons while in police custody have been 
a cause for much controversy, according to the Vancouver Sun, RCMP 
have been directed to first call an ambulance before they administer 
any use of a taser.

According to Murray, the use of a taser is ineffective on these 
individuals, "It doesn't work right off the bat. There has been cases 
where a gentlemen was under this type of excitement and was tasered 
on repeated occasions without affect," he said.

If you encounter someone that you think has excited delirium:

.Keep your distance

.Lower the lights if possible

.Slow your speech, lower your voice

.Slow your movements

.Keep your hands visible

.Keep the person talking

.Create distance slowly

Signs of excited delirium:

. Subject's actions are bizarre, illogical and possibly violent

.Subject may remove their clothing, may be sweating profusely, hot to touch

.Head may be tilted back, eyes slightly shut

. May display rigorous resistance or flight behavior

. Unintelligible speech, animal sounds
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