Legal protections make it difficult to force treatment, but one man’s personal tragedy has led to changes.

A new system in Maine evaluates deadly force incidents, but little is done to share the findings, and few lawmakers actually read the reports.

The invading officers knew about the 54-year-old’s condition but confronted him anyway. A review later found flaws in their actions.

The Farmington man’s family believes the court system should have alerted police to his troubled mental state.

It’s one of six national learning sites on police response to the mentally ill, and many officers have received special training.

Crisis intervention training offers Maine police a valuable tool for dealing with emotionally disturbed people, yet few departments and officers are participating in the program, citing costs and staffing concerns.

Police can defuse an armed confrontation through patience, pulling back or knowing how a person with a specific illness might behave.