State Sen. Bob Duff is pushing for police to get better training in dealing with people who suffer from mental illness.

Duff says he is not criticizing police and wants to work in partnership with them to help officers on the front lines get the best possible training, and is calling for better funding.

Terrence McCall died over the summer, and his mom says one of the most painful things for her to live with is knowing how her son was often thrown out of hospitals and pharmacies by police due to his behavior, which she says was a symptom of his mental illness.

Renee McCall says the effort to secure more funding needs to be a top legislative priority.

She says her son also suffered from mental illness and had an encounter with police that she felt could have been handled better. She says her son also had a rare physical condition called compartment syndrome, which leads to internal bleeding and causes parts of the body to swell.

Attorney Marks Arons is representing the family of 19-year-old Mubarak Soulemane, who was fatally shot by state police after he led them on a high-speed chase. He says like McCall, Soulemane suffered from mental illness.

Duff says some police departments across the county have hired social workers because they have the skills and training to deal with people who suffer from mental illness.