From KCRW in Santa Monica and PRI, Public Radio International, this is To the Point.

Mental illness and law enforcement.

Hello again, I'm Arminolny, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

As many as half the people killed by police in the United States are mentally ill.

Deadly violence occurs after cops have been called to deal with a crisis caused by disease rather than criminality.

But police training calls for the use of force rather than empathy.

And the public, like a jury this week in California, tends to side with officers of the law.

With mental hospitals closed down and services cut back, confrontations may be inevitable.

We'll look at potential solutions to a humanitarian problem.

Today's talking point, this year's Oscar nominations, Who's Up and Who's Not?

First, here's the news.

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Hello again, I'm Arman Alme back with To the Point.

The mentally ill are no more likely than healthy people to commit violent crimes, but the shutdown of

mental hospitals has left sick people on their own, and their symptoms can lead to confrontations

with the police. The results can be fatal. We'll hear what it can mean to one family,

and we'll look at the potential solutions to a growing national problem. Today's talking point,

in a year of many high-quality films, some highly anticipated Oscar nominees were bound to be left

...