Former Hamilton sergeant tells council he intervened to stop officer knee hold; urges better crisis response

A former Hamilton Township police sergeant told the council Jan. 16 that he forcibly intervened to stop an officer who had placed a knee on a female patient’s neck and shoulder while she was in a mental‑health crisis.

James Walters described the incident during public comment, saying he ordered the officer to stop repeatedly as the patient showed signs of distress and that his own intervention led to a physical confrontation in which he was injured. Walters said he reported the use of force to a lieutenant who declined to discipline the officer and later retired without sanction.

Walters said the officer’s actions were inconsistent with Hamilton Township Police Department procedures and New Jersey use‑of‑force policies and asserted the conduct likely violated Title 18, Section 242 (deprivation of rights under color of law), the federal civil‑rights statute referenced in high‑profile cases involving police force.

"I ordered him to stop multiple times, but he refused ... I then grabbed his leg and began to pull it off the patient's neck while screaming, 'Take it off,'" Walters said. He urged the council to do a better job of ensuring police encounters with persons in mental‑health crisis do not have fatal outcomes.

The council did not take action on the allegations during the meeting; Walters said he is seeking assistance for a line‑of‑duty injury and called for systemic changes to prevent similar incidents.

Other members of the public and a retired nurse who works in mental‑health offered the council suggestions about crisis‑intervention training and local initiatives to improve outcomes in crises.

The council did not announce any immediate follow‑up on the specific incident described; Walters said he had reported the event previously to supervisory authorities.