At the Sherriff’s Office, we understand how crucial it is for everyone to care about mental health and mental wellbeing. Our mental health can influence how we think, feel, and act. We take great pride in celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month and strive every day to serve our residents with compassion while prioritizing our community’s safety.
With your support, we’ve made significant strides in actively addressing behavioral health and homelessness concerns through dedicated training, collaborative partnerships, and innovative programs. These critical and necessary steps promote the importance of mental health in our community and improve our response to our community’s mental health needs.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 1 in 5 adults lives with a mental illness. Since the beginning of this year, deputies responded to 2,508 calls for service and generated 1,800 reports with a behavioral health component. About 70% of those reports involved an emergency detention order.
Our Special Projects Unit has developed several leading mental health and outreach programs supporting our patrol deputies. Our work serves as a reminder of what we can accomplish together and reinforces our promise to do all we can to improve our interactions with residents, including those with a developmental disability, substance abuse issue, or mental health illness.
Our behavioral health programs and collaborations enhance public safety, better triage calls, and reduce visits to hospital emergency rooms. And when it makes sense, divert persons in need of treatment from the criminal justice system toward more appropriate care, resources, and services.