More questions than answers in weeks after Kessee’s death

Feb. 04--Details surrounding the death of Marconia Kessee, the Oklahoma City man who was examined and released by Norman Regional Hospital personnel, dragged off of hospital grounds by Norman police and found dead two hours later in a Cleveland County jail cell, have been slow to emerge.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Oklahoma City hasn't released a cause of death for Kessee, 34, a black homeless man who, according to his uncle Michael Washington, had a history of mental illness.

Norman Regional Health System Marketing and Communication Supervisor Melissa Herron said the hospital is in the process of "gathering information" about the incident, but would not go into detail regarding the impact of the incident on hospital procedures or staff roles.

The two Norman police officers, Kyle Canaan and Daniel Brown, who physically removed Kessee from hospital grounds and arrested him for trespassing are on paid administrative leave while NPD conducts an internal investigation.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, which interim Cleveland County Sheriff Todd Gibson voluntarily called in to investigate Kessee's death, has not released the results of its investigation.

Norman Regional Health System officials won't discuss Kessee's death in detail, citing privacy restrictions under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Norman police officials have also released little information, saying the incident is part of an active investigation, although NPD Police Chief Keith Humphrey expressed condolences to Kessee's family on behalf of the department.

The Transcript was able to obtain general information regarding the training, protocols and procedures NRHS and NPD officials said they regularly use.

--Norman Regional Hospital: Initial reports from the incident state hospital security told NPD Kessee had come to the ER complaining of a headache and "bargaining for narcotics." He was examined and discharged, but did not leave the facility, so hospital security called police.

According to Gail Grego, a registered nurse who works as the Director of Emergency Services and Behavioral Medicine Services for Norman Regional Health System, every individual who walks or is brought to one of NRHS's three emergency rooms is given a medical screening examination -- or MSE -- that determines the priority in which they're seen. Grego said Norman Regional uses a standardized triage scale, the emergency severity index, to make that determination. Hospital officials would not confirm whether Kessee was transported to Norman Regional Hospital or walked in of his own volition.

"Based on what they come in with, [emergency room staff are] going to talk with the patient: how are you doing, how long has this been going on, what is your medical history, what kind of medications are you on?," Grego said. "If the clinician determines there is a need for diagnostic tests, all of that will be done in the emergency department. Based on all of that information, they'll determine if that person meets the criteria for admission."

Grego said the individual's ability to pay for medical services can't be taken into consideration when hospital staff are evaluating and treating the individual.

The MSE includes one question related to mental health. If someone presents with a mental health issue, Norman Regional personnel have a variety of places to which they can admit that individual for treatment. Social workers in the emergency departments "work to find the best option" for individuals with mental health need," Grego said.

"We're not going to discharge a patient if we feel they're a danger to themselves or others," she said.

In a press release, Norman Public Safety Information Officer Sarah Jensen said officers obtained a "fit for incarceration opinion from hospital staff" once Kessee was arrested. But Grego said that isn't a medical term -- there is no "fit for incarceration" examination, Grego said. Instead, hospital staff will determine if someone is safe to be discharged home, whether that "home" be on the street or into police custody.

--Norman Police Department: Chief Humphrey said he is concerned about disparaging remarks officers Canaan and Brown made during Kessee's arrest. Police body cam video recorded the officers saying "What you're doing is putting on a show" in response to Kessee shaking and going to the ground. "I'm too cold to stand here and watch you play this game," one of the officers says. "That's why you're here, right? Drug usage?"

"Do you have the munchies? What's the deal here?" the other office asks.

The officers repeatedly instruct Kessee to put one of his shoes back on.

"I could teach my dog to put a shoe on faster than this," one of them says.

Norman is one of a handful of police departments across the state that has its own police academy. Lt. Jay Callaghan is in charge of that training program, which lasts six months compared to the state's 12 weeks. Deescalation, crisis intervention, and ethics training are all part of that training, and Norman spends a significantly higher number of hours focusing on those areas than the state requires, according to Callaghan. NPD also requires 30 hours of continuing education each year.

"Our officers coming out, we feel, are equipped to meet the demands they're going to find in the field," he said. "When you look at the amount of training we're doing, and you look at the [body camera] video, it's not adding up, and I get that."

Callaghan said the police department is evaluating its training process in light of how officers treated Kessee.

"It definitely makes you reevaluate; are we missing something?" he said. "When you're dealing with human beings and adding the human element, people are going to make mistakes, and now we have to answer for them."

Callaghan said police officers are trained to use the minimal amount of force necessary when arresting someone. He encourages community members to interact with police officers and communicate concerns they have. The police department hosts a Citizens' Police Academy and also holds monthly "Coffee with a Cop" meetings throughout the community. The next is slated for Feb. 6 from 5:30 to 7 a.m. at Apple Tree Chocolate, 754 Asp. Ave.

Lt. Cary Bryant oversees community relations for the Norman Police Department, which includes interacting with homeless individuals and individuals who have mental health needs. He said title Oklahoma Statue 43A, Chapter 5 governs what behaviors police officers look for when interacting with individuals who are exhibiting signs of mental illness.

He said those behaviors have to reach a certain threshold, determined by federal law and case law, before officers can place that individual into protective custody and then transport someone to a medical or mental health care facility for treatment. In 2017, Norman police put someone in protective custody 1,200 times.

"We talk about the science of crisis intervention, which I can teach to anyone, but then there's the art of understanding what is going on," Bryant said. "Those are two different things."

--Mental health services in Norman: Norman has a significant number of mental health beds, compared to the rest of the state.

Griffin Memorial Hospital is operated by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS). Central Oklahoma Community Mental Health Center, also administered by ODMHSAS, provides mental health and substance abuse services to both children and adults.

Red Rock is a not-for-profit, private mental health company that contracts with the state to provide mental health crisis stabilization. The company leases space at Norman Regional Health System's Porter campus for 15 beds, and has another 40 at Griffin Memorial Hospital.

Norman Regional Hospital has its own inpatient psychiatric unit for adults as well.

Red Rock COO Steve Norwood said the facility accepts patients from across the state, and operates at 90 to 94 percent capacity. Approximately 80 percent of their patients, he said, are brought to the facility by law enforcement.

"We stay pretty full," he said. "If we're full, [patients] will go to Griffin [Memorial Hospital], they may go to Oklahoma City. There's a system that the state department of mental health has that we use to look for other open beds. We really strive to take care of Cleveland County: that's a priority for us. I hate to see someone from Norman have to drive somewhere else.

"We have a good relationship with the police. They can drop a patient off, we evaluate them, and we can admit them, or call Norman police and have them come back if they're not going to be admitted."

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