SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – What else is our law enforcement doing to help those in mental health crisis, keep them out of jail and prevent violence?
The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office has been so successful at digging deeper and addressing the underlying issues that cause people to call for help that local police departments have copied their model.
The sheriff’s office calls it the “Behavioral Services Unit.”
The BSU identifies those in crisis or who need extra assistance and connects them with partners all across Seminole County including hospitals, churches, rehab clinics and the health department.
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Keisha Thomas manages “The Oasis” at the Sharing Center in Longwood, one of the BSU’s partners.
The Oasis gives people a place to shower, do their laundry, pick up food, clothing, even furniture – all for free.
How many people who end up at the Sharing Center come through the sheriff’s office?
“I’d say about 70% of our clients have had some form of engagement with the sheriff’s office,” Thomas said.
Sgt. Dwayne Harris, who leads the BSU, helped build the relationship with the Sharing Center and other partners.
“A lot of times people in crisis become isolated from their family members and their support systems get strained,” Harris said. “Sometimes it’s as simple as having access to clothing, showers, basic care items.”
Harris said the sheriff’s office discovered a growing number of 911 calls run deeper than just an immediate emergency.
Last year, 3,300 calls for help ended with deputies hospitalizing someone for their own safety, or Baker Acting them, as it’s called.
“Out of that we’ve had about 300 of those individuals who experienced two or more contacts with law enforcement and crisis through that period,” Harris said.
So the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office’s Behavioral Services Unit – 11 agents, analysts, and detectives – follows up on calls from people in crisis to get them out of crisis using the county-wide partners and get them help to ultimately get them to the point where they don’t need to call for help.
News 6 asked Sheriff Dennis Lemma what would happen if the sheriff’s office didn’t assist those in crisis.
“I think it is a fact criminal justice facilities have been the recipients of a lot of people who are in a mental health crisis,” Lemma said. “Keeping people who suffer from mental health illness out of the criminal justice system to make sure they get the health and services they need is so important.”
Thomas said the partnership is resulting in fewer arrests and better long-term health in people who otherwise might not have gotten any help.
“Absolutely,” Thomas said. “Or the only help that they would have gotten is the jail system.”
Sgt. Harris said calls to the sheriff’s office from people in crisis have not dropped, but that’s not how he quantifies success.
“We’ve noticed that the change that comes with reducing of critical incidents, law enforcement encounters, public safety concerns for the average neighbor who knows someone in their community may have an underlying issue,” Harris said. “People say they want to see a shift in a bottom-line number. The truth is as we educate that law enforcement is a valuable resource, numbers will actually increase as people know they can trust us and call us that when they ask for law enforcement to come out, they know it can be a positive outcome where family members are getting directly connected to services.”
Harris said repeat Baker Acts have dropped this year compared to last year with 215 so far this year, compared to 300 in all of 2022.
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