This is the place where andrew was born. Its also the place where he died. He was a pharmaceutical executive who never imagined a drug would lead to his own sons death. Are you saying theyre experimenting on kids . Yeah, absolutely. Millions of children are taking psychiatric drugs. Is the system failing our kids . They would not talk to us on camera. So weve come here to a Public Meeting. Lets go inside. But first, i take you inside what may be the police force of the future. This was one of the toughest neighborhoods in the country. The community was at war with the cops. How do you expect to get respect when you not respecting us . Tonight, a new model for the nation. Are you staying out of trouble . Police departments have to give up on this idea that Police Officers have to be warriors. Thats counter to everything you were talking about suppressing crime, you arrest people . It is. This is a revolution. Dateline on assignment starts now. Good evening and welcome to on assignment, im lester holt. The protests in ferguson, the unrest in baltimore, examples of what can happen when police and the people theyre sworn to protect are at odds. Weve seen it in communities across this country. But a bold new plan in a notoriously tough neighborhood is changing that, and it may hold the answer for other cities. Ive been called a social worker with a gun, the liberal cop. Shes in la la land. But you have to think outside of the box. Los Angeles Police sergeant ahmada ting reeties believes she has the answer to the crisis facing Police Departments across the country and it starts with two simple words im sorry. If we can understand the hatred and the mistrust and apologize for it, then you have your breakthrough and you begin to make real change. The sergeant could not have chosen a more challenging community to put her philosophy to the test. Watch. Friday night from inside a police car in this impoverished and gangridden Los Angeles Neighborhood can sometimes feel like riding through a war zone. Man, you dont got to drag me like this. And history is always riding shotgun. Ever since it erupted in riots in 1965, watts has at times felt like a police state. Its residents, often on the verge of insurrection. I think it was clear from the moment i set foot in watts 30 years ago that the community was at war with the cops. Civil rights lawyer connie rice has been battling to force the lapd to change its ways for years. What we had were predators who saw the community as arrest numbers and people they could beat with their batons and shoot with impunity. What we needed were cops who loved the community. Ahmada didnt need to learn to love watts, she spent much of her childhood here. These are the tracks you played on . I used to throw rocks at the trains. Ahmada moved away when she was 9, before the crack epidemic, before the brutal gang wars, and before los angeles was rocked by what happened to rodney king. I remember saying out loud, i cant believe this is happening. But at that moment, i remember saying to myself, i want to join lapd, so that i can make a difference in the community, because it hurt. She joined the lapd in 1995 and quickly moved up the ranks. Her husband phil is an assistant Bureau Commander and they have six kids between them. In 2007, she was assigned to watts. When i saw what drugs and gangs did to the community, i knew that we needed to do police work differently. It was then she met connie rice, who was now working with the lapd to change the way watts was policed. I said i want 50 cops. I want them trained to learn to trust, and to win the trust of the community. These are trust cops. The program rice and the lapd created in 2011 was called the Community Safety partnership, or csp, and the woman they trusted to lead it was watts own ahmada. We are asking the officers to learn and understand the cultures of the communities that theyre working in. And to use arrest as a last resort. But thats counter to everything they were taught about, you suppress crime, you arrest people, the stuff that most of us understand about police work . It is. Somebody call the police . Csp officers started patrolling watts on foot and engaged residents oneonone . You staying out of trouble . At first, they were met with suspicion. They thought we were going to come in to be investigative and tear apart the community. The officers were required to do something groundbreaking to change minds. They spent part of their shifts participating in community projects. Hey, whats up, man . You always looking fresh and clean. Officer Aaron Thompson escorts kids to and from school. Hes also a counsellor to boys who are at risk. I was one of those kids growing up in atmospheres like this, where parents are on drugs, homeless a couple times. Officers say, why do you give them so much love like that . I tell them, because that could have easily been me. Easily. Sergeant Ryan Whiteman patrols jordan downs, a Public Housing development in watts. He alsoitutors kids there. He said forming these relationships has helped him become a more effective cop. Why you mad . Whats wrong . Talk to me. I dont want you getting shot, man. We watched how he worked to diffuse tension when a fight broke out at a gym. Hey, whats the tone, man . This is the type of incident that causes unnecessary acts of violence. At first he wasnt getting anywhere. I cant even have a conversation with you . So he sought out some older residents the local gang would listen to. Let these guys off the hook. So the thing is, if they act like that, theyre going to bring heat on everybody unnecessarily. Thats why i come talk to you guys. It seemed to work, no more trouble and no arrests. Ahmada says this kind of Community Policing is making a difference. And she has the statistics to prove it. We reduced crime by just under 50 . Violent crime, rapes, murders, 50 . Baltimore, ferguson, do you think you have built up enough in the reservoir that you can prevent that sort of thing from happening here in watts . Id like to say yes. I also know that if we dont keep working at it, it could happen. Police departments have to give up on this idea that Police Officers should be warriors and theyre going to have to adopt a new idea that we want Police Officers who are guardians. Brian stevenson is a prominent civil rights attorney and bestselling author who rights about issues of justice. Also a member of a president ial task force on 21st century policing. He says cops cant do it alone. People in the community have to take responsibility for pushing the police to be more responsive. But for also engaging other members in the community that legitimately dont think the police will ever change. We had to forgive first. Yes. And that is exactly what is happening in watts. Members of the Watts Gang Task force, and other community leaders, some of them former gang members themselves, now collaborate with police. A lot of the kids was getting killed. A lot was ending up on drugs. So thats what started changing my views about things. Another thing is, the police started changing. Once they started seeing the work that we were doing in the community, then it started bridging. They started seeing you as a resource. We was an asset, and not a liability, and we demanded one thing from them respect. We can hold people in our community accountable, but yall gotta hold yourself accountable. But no matter how well the community and police work together, watts can still be a dangerous place. While we were there, gang attacks at two Housing Developments rocked the area. It created a huge sense of fear and anxiety. To quiet things down, the lapd brought in police units from outside watts. They confronted and frequently arrested gang members. Csp officer Aaron Thompson knew these unfamiliar cops would be more aggressive. So he prepared the people on his beat. I just wanted to warn yall that hanging out and all that stuff, when the officers come through and they see that, they gonna jump out on yall. Its kind of a bold thing when you think about it, Police Officers telling the community, theres more police coming. Thats part of our transparency. Weve now told them that we care, and we care by bringing Additional Resources to stop the crime. But that Additional Police presence can cause conflicts. How do you guys expect to get respect when you not respecting us . The community became infuriated when Police Arrested three people returning home from a barbecue, tasing one of them. They accused the lapd of harassment and wrongful imprisonment and at a meeting several days later, the community let ahmada have it. So you basically put everyone in that neighborhood under the same umbrella. If if theyre a man and theyre black, theyre a criminal as they were speaking, were you thinking, oh, my gosh, were unraveling so much of our good work here . The first thought that came to my mind here is this relationship were trying to build is so fragile. Were trying to work in this Community Without dealing with everybody as a thug, everybody as a dope dealer, i never want to broad brush this community and i dont think its fair for the police to get broadbrushed as well when were working so hard to change the perception of Law Enforcement in this community. I know you. I give you a thumbs up. [ laughter ] but theres some officers i dont like, because they dont like me. Its not perfect, a lot of times. Theres still conflict. But at the same time, theres something inside of me saying, this is amazing. Nobody got up and walked out of the room. We all listened. We created a platform. That special partnership is garnering national attention. In 2015, ahmada and her husband phil were invited to president obamas state of the Union Address by the first lady. And the president s task force cited csp as a model. Weve made progress in one of the places where the tensions and the uprisings and the violence have been epidemic for decades and no one has an excuse for resisting these strategies anywhere in the country and thats a very hopeful thing. We proud of this program, we excited and we want to see it grow. In a place that has seen so many candle light vigils, the community now gathers in prayer to commemorate young lives saved, not lost. We have to get back to loving one another. Ten years ago, this scene would have been unimaginable. And when ahmada takes the mike, she has a word for it. This is a revolution. Thats it. And this is the momentum that we need to make this community safe. You can start on a street corner, giving a smile, and immersing yourself in that community. And if you can get a community to forgive, forgiveness is truly powerful. And then they start to see beyond the uniform. They start to see you . They start to see you. Coming up you are a farma guy and your own son dies of side effects. How could this have happened . A fathers loss becomes a fathers fight. The Childrens Mental Health industry its broken. A lesson for every parent. Take on the unexpected with a car that could stop for you. Nissan safety shield technologies, available in the altima, sentra and maxima. Listerine® total care strengthens teeth, after brushing, helps prevent cavities and restores tooth enamel. Its an easy way to give listerine® total care to the total family. Listerine® total care. One bottle, six benefits. Power to your mouth™. 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You know, when you and i were trying to get on television, tonight he sits down with tom brokaw for his first tv interview since leefrg late night . Do you miss it . No. I thought for sure i would. So whats on his top ten list now . Television doesnt do the sport justice. Hence, hes all revved up. Thats coming up later. The new chase freedom unlimited card earns you unlimited 1. 5 cash back on everything you buy. The cash back is unlimited and you can spend it on anything. Like, whatever the next ad is selling. Get the new chase freedom unlimited card. So we know how to cover almost almoanything. Hing, even a ufh2o. [man] thats not good. [pilot] thats not good. [man] thats really not good. [burke] it happened august fourteenth,2008, and we covered it. Talk to farmers. We know a thing or two because weve seen a thing or two. We are farmers. Bumpadum, bumbumbumbum our next story is a cautionary tale about how the Mental Health industry serves our kids. A dad, it turns out, who knows a lot about that industry. Kate snow reports from new jersey. Reporter this is 10yearold andrew francesco. Racing down the hill near his new jersey home, on a snowboard he got from christmas. His dad steven cheering him on. All right that was good this is it. He wanted to show me the exact spot. What do you think of when you look at that . I just couldnt believe it. I was so proud of him. Thats my son. Thats my son. Reporter it was a rare moment of joy for steven and andrew. Most days werent like that. Andrew had been struggling with behavioral problems since preschool. As loving and goofy as he could be its what i do [ laughter ] reporter he could also be impulsive, disruptive, sometimes exploding with rage. Im passing this park right here. We had a huge fight there once. There were times when he was just impossible. Reporter diagnosed with adhd in kindergarten, andrew spent a lot of time riding in the car with his parents to doctors appointments and pharmacies. Wed walk in and walk out hoping we had an answer. Reporter i have a list here. How many drugs was andrew on over the next few years . The astonishing thing about this list, this is nine years of his life. He has at least a dozen different drugs. Reporter did you get to a point where you just didnt want to make any more decisions about medicine . Oh, god, anybody with children with Mental Health problems knows how challenging and demanding it is. And over time, you just get worn down. Reporter when he turned 14, andrews doctors gave him a new diagnosis. Obsessive compulsive disorder and terets syndrome. And a new drug, seroquel from a category called atypical antipsychotic. So its to treat that symptom, not psychosis, not hes delusional . Because you hear antipsychotic and you think of someone who has a real psychosis . Absolutely. A real psychosis. Then one morning a year after andrew had started taking seroquel in higher doses, steven found him in bed, struggling to breathe and called 911. When everything happened, is this the way you went . Yes, this is the way we went. I was in the back of the ambulance with andrew. You can start to see the hospital. This is the place where andrew was born. Reporter its also the place where he died. Where he died. Reporter thats why its so hard. Andrew had died from neuro leaptic malignant syndrome, an extremely rare side effect of taking antipsychotics. Even though it was listed on seroquels packaging. Steven said hed never heard of it before. This was an adverse side effect to taking high doses of seroquel. Reporter as prescribed by a doctor . Thats right. Reporter after andrews death, steven was in shock, grieving, but also feeling guilty. He thought he, of all people, should have been able to protect his son. First of all, i want to thank the fda for allowing me to speak at the forum. Reporter because Steven Francesco wasnt just a desperate parent, he was also a drug industry insider. I have 30 years in the pharmaceutical industry. 21 years with my own company. Reporter you rub shoulders with executives, with doctors with regulators . All the time, absolutely. You are a pharma guy, helping cell pharmaceuticals, helping increase access to pharmaceuticals and your own son dies of side effect. Reporter its the ultimate irony. Its part of what i agonize over when i thought, how could this have happened to me . Reporter steven started digging and discovered something, his son was one of thousands of kids taking drugs that it turns out doctors may not know much about. The antipsychotic, seroquel, it was not approved at that time for kids, only for adults. His doctor had prescribed it off label. Andrew was, in a sense, a guinea pig. They were testing whether this drug would work on him. Reporter but the doctors are allowed to do that . They are. Its socalled off label. They go off what the label says and guess that it might help andrew. Thats right. And theyre hoping. Theyre hoping. Reporter steven found thats true for the vast majority of kids taking antipsychotics, doctors prescribe them offlabel to treat anything from dreation to adhd to eating disorders. And yet only limited Clinical Trials have been done on kids to test whether these drugs work for those conditions. About one in every 80 or 85 kids are receiving an antipsychotic sometime during the course of the year. Reporter Columbia University proffer dr. Mark olafson is a leading researcher on antipsychotics. He said more and more kids are getting them for unapproved uses. Is it safe . Well, there are some safety concerns with these medications. Many result in weight gain, they can increase things like cholesterol. And there are longer term things that are hard to study. We know less about the effects of this drug on the developing brain. Reporter steven said it all amounts to a vast offlabel experiment on kids. And he thinks the pharmaceutical industry, his industry, is the one thats profiting. Theres a lo