Changes Pushed After Killing Of Mariners Fan

A King County task force, formed after the fatal stabbing of a retired Seattle firefighter, has adopted a series of proposals designed to keep violent mentally ill offenders off the streets.

The state and local recommendations were adopted Tuesday night, nearly three months after retired Capt. Stanley Stevenson, 64, of Kent, Wash., was attacked as he left a Mariners game at the Kingdome.

A transient with a history of violent and criminal behavior, released just days earlier despite a recommendation for civil commitment, was arrested in Stevenson’s death.

The reforms would hold judges, prosecutors and mental health workers accountable for making sure that mentally ill offenders who are potentially dangerous are properly screened by the justice system.

One proposal calls for training 100 Seattle police officers in how to deal with the mentally ill on the streets.

Another would require at least 30 days’ confinement in a mental health facility for misdemeanor offenders who have committed a violent crime or have a history of violent behavior and are found mentally incompetent to stand trial.