encounter

A new report from the city controller’s office questions the effectiveness of the LAPD’s signature crisis response program, saying clinicians trained in de-escalation too often are forced to defer to armed patrol officers.

For years, Los Angeles Police Department officials have touted the success of the Systemwide Mental Assessment Response Team, or SMART. But critics say the program, which pairs licensed specialists with officers in unmarked cars, is failing in the crucial initial minutes of encounters when multiple police shootings of mentally ill people have occurred.

Dinah M. Manning, chief of strategic initiatives and senior advisor in the controller’s office, said the report found an “inherent contradiction” in the SMART program.

Even though its purpose is to send in clinicians and tap their expertise to avoid killings, LAPD policy still requires armed patrol officers to clear a scene of any potential threats beforehand.

Traditional police units almost always take charge, even on calls in which no weapon is involved, such as a person threatening to commit suicide, Manning said.

Referring to SMART as a co-response program “is pretty much a misnomer in this case,” she said. “How is it that we’re ending up with so many fatalities?”

An LAPD spokesperson declined to comment in response to questions about the report.

LAPD officers have opened fire 35 times this year; in recent years, department statistics showed at least a third of all police shootings involved someone with obvious signs of emotional distress.

The report pointed to other shortcomings with the SMART program, which is housed within the department’s Mental Health Unit. Officers detailed to the units receive no specialized training, the report said, also finding that the department has failed to properly track uses of force on mental health-related calls.

The department’s existing use of force policy “falls short” of best practices for dealing with people in mental distress, the controller’s report said. The LAPD’s policy, it said, “only makes cursory mention of ‘vulnerable populations’ without expounding on the dynamic realities presented in encounters with people who have a mental health condition or appear to be in a mental health crisis.”

Too often in cases in which SMART responds, the report said, the outcome is that the person in crisis is placed on an involuntary 72-hour hold. Such scenarios do not involve an arrest or criminal charges; instead the person is held under state law that allows for detention if a person poses a threat to themselves or others.

The controller’s report comes amid a continued debate in L.A. and elsewhere about how officials should respond to emergencies involving mental health, homelessness, substance use or minor traffic incidents.

The city has expanded its alternative programs in recent years, but proponents warn that looming cuts in federal spending for social safety net programs under the Trump administration could hinder efforts to scale up and have more impact.

LAPD leaders in the past offered support of such programs, while cautioning that any call has the potential to quickly spiral into violence, necessitating the presence of officers.

Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami went up, up, up for their “Golden” moment on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

The trio, who provide the singing voices for the animated “KPop Demon Hunters” central girl group Huntr/x, hit the late-night TV show Tuesday to perform the Netflix movie’s signature song. It marks the first time they have hit the stage together for a live, full-length performance of “Golden,” and even Fallon could not contain his excitement.

The first No. 1 female K-pop song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, “Golden” has helped propel the “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack to its newest accolade. Fallon informed Ejae, Nuna and Ami during the show that the record had gone platinum.

When asked about their experiences around the massive popularity of “KPop Demon Hunters,” the trio offered words including “surreal,” “scrumptious” “delicious,” “stunning” and “bonkers.”

“We try to come up with new adjectives every time,” said Nuna, who provides the singing voice for Mira.

Their “Tonight Show” appearance follows their brief cameo on the Season 51 premiere of “Saturday Night Live.” During their sitdown interview with Fallon, both Nuna and Ami (the singing voice of Zoey) recounted real-life encounters with “Golden” that drove home the magnitude of “KPop Demon Hunters’” impact.

For Nuna this happened on a trip to Korea when she saw an elderly street performer playing “Golden” on a traditional Korean instrument.

“I had to do a double take because in Korean culture, it’s especially impressive if an elderly person is impressed with you,” said Nuna, who explained that Korean elders rarely bat an eye at accomplishments like attending an Ivy League college or graduating top of your class. “It’s really hard [to impress them]. They have high standards. So for the older generation to embrace it, it’s something different.”

Ami’s encounter was with a much younger fan. She recalled a trip to an H Mart where she saw a young boy singing “Golden” at the top of his lungs while holding hands with his mother.

“I think it’s one thing to hear our song on the radio, but to hear it come out of a child, live?” Ami said. “In H Mart, my favorite place? … I just cried at HMart.”

Ejae, meanwhile, offered an anecdote that suggests “Golden’s” success may have been preordained.

Prompted by Fallon, the co-writer of “Golden” shared that while recording her part of the song at the studio, she saw a brief glimpse of “a grunge ghost.”

It was “a tall dude with a flannel … and blue jeans,” Ejae said. And this brief encounter may have been auspicious.

“My mom reminded me later [that] there’s a myth in Korea in the music [business], if you see a ghost or any paranormal activity while recording a song, it’s a hit,” she said.