Do Police Officers Have a Duty to Stop a Suicidal Person From Killing Themselves?

At the scene of a non-criminal barricade, typically the legal dilemma officers face comes down to two questions: 1) Do we (the police) “have to” take the suicidal party into custody? 2) Are we (the police) going to be liable if we leave, and the suicidal party harms himself or another person? Let’s examine each question by setting aside cop folklore (“You’re going to get sued and lose your house!”) and opinions and instead focus on facts.

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