Philip C. Cline, Superintendent of Police
3510 S Michigan
Chicago, IL 60653
Dear Mr. Cline:
I am writing to you in response to the story of Christina Eilman, whose tragic story has recently been made public. It is disgraceful that anyone should suffer such treatment at the hands of law enforcement.
It is being reported that Ms. Eilman was brought in for causing a disturbance at an airport. She was allegedly left in a cell, screaming for help, for hours while her parents in California attempted in vain to communicate with the police department and let them know that their daughter suffered from bipolar disorder. Ms. Eilman was then released, alone, into one of Chicago’s worst neighborhoods, where she somehow ended up nearly dead on the ground after a seven-story high defenestration.
This is how the story is being reported, and if any part of it is accurate, your officers are in need of some major disciplinary action as well as retraining. Those in law enforcement should be well aware of how to identify and properly deal with people who may be suffering from a mental illness.
I am certain that this could have happened in any of countless precincts across the country. Terrible consequences happen all too often when law enforcement officers either make assumptions about or ignore the basic needs of people whom they are taking into custody. In recent months such stories have come to light as a former New York Times reporter, a victim one night of a violent mugging, being treated as a street drunk and subsequently dying, and a fellow in Jacksonville, Florida being deprived of seizure medication while held for marijuana possession.
People at the very least should be able to expect that their basic human rights will be protected if they find themselves under arrest. I hope that you will take measures to ensure that your citizens can hold onto this hope.
Truly,
Liz Mann
