Mental cases film planned: Will Show Proper Methods of Handling

              A senile woman has frequent arguments with her grocer; neighborhood boys torment a a feebleminded youth; a man with a knife terrorizes his family—and the police are called to handle the situation.
How the policemen should handle these and other cases which involve mentally disturbed persons will be the basis for a documentary' film, "Booked for Safekeeping," to be made in New Orleans.
In    an     interview    Friday, George C.   Stoney,   New  York . producer - director of the film, said that   it   would   show   the I proper methods to be' used in the recognition and  apprehension of the mentally8 ill.
"The film would be used in police training programs across the country," he said, speaking In a room at the Louisiana Association for Mental Health headquarters.
The 30-minute movie is being financed by a grant from the federal National Institute of Mental Health under the auspices of the Louisiana Mental Health Association and the New Orleans  police  department.
New Orleans was selected as the location because of the pioneer work this city has done in training policemen to cope with abnormal persons. This training. ■ is part of the cadet program and refresher  programs.
Stoney explained that this graining is needed because many of 'the persons apprehended by the police require hospitalsj not jails.
;The cases used would be b^sed on actual police records, he said. Legal complications prevent using mentally ill persons in the film, but 18 New Orleans policemen will portray the officers' roles.
WILL START IN MARCH
"In addition to these me.n,' 'he said, "we will use between 40 and 45 others who have done work with mentally ill persons. This will give the picture authenticity."
Shooting will begin in March, Storey said, and the film should be ready for distribution by the gall. It will have its premier showing in New Orleans.
Dr. Lloyd W. Rowland, director of the Louisiana Association for Mental Health, said the film wbuld be of great value because many hospitals now are using the outpatient clinic in dealing with   the   mentally   disturbed. I
"This  means  that  since  the!
patient is allowed to remain outside of an institution, there are more of them on the streets to be handled,*' he said.
"And it is Important that the police know how to handle them. If the officer understands the situation, he will be less fearful and the person will be less fearful."
Cdl. Provbsty Dayries, superintendent of police, said that this film would be "terrifically important because these cases are going to keep happening."
Stoney added that he hoped to make the film a type of "first aid" movie that would teach the proper methods as simply as possible and would be useful to policemen in cities of any size.