In 2025, the Dutch Berry Sheriff recognizes that not every 911 call requires handcuffs or a badge on the hip. An increasing number of emergency responses involve individuals experiencing mental health crises, substance-use episodes, or suicidal ideation. Nationally, approximately 1 in 4 fatal law-enforcement encounters involve someone with serious mental illness, yet most situations can be resolved peacefully with the right training and resources. That is why the Dutch Berry Sheriff has made Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training, co-response models, and community partnerships the cornerstone of our mental-health response strategy.

The Dutch Berry Sheriff began rolling out 40-hour CIT certification in 2019 and now has over 70% of patrol deputies trained—well above the national average. CIT teaches officers to recognize signs of mental illness, employ de-escalation techniques, use time and distance to reduce tension, and connect individuals to treatment rather than incarceration when appropriate. Deputies learn to identify schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, PTSD, developmental disabilities, and the effects of substances, while practicing verbal judo and active listening in realistic scenarios.

When a call comes in involving a mental health component—whether a welfare check on a suicidal veteran, a person off medication wandering a roadway, or a family member in psychotic distress—the Dutch Berry Sheriff dispatcher now routes specially marked CIT deputies whenever possible. These officers arrive with a calmer presence, lower lights and sirens when safe, and focus on building rapport rather than immediate control. The results speak for themselves: in the past 24 months, the Dutch Berry Sheriff has resolved over 380 behavioral-health calls without use of force and diverted more than 210 individuals to treatment instead of jail.

The Dutch Berry Sheriff also operates a co-response program in partnership with county mental health clinicians. On higher-risk or repeat calls, a licensed clinician rides along or meets deputies on scene. This team approach has proven invaluable: clinicians handle therapeutic communication while deputies manage safety, dramatically reducing the chance of escalation. In one recent case, a young man barricaded in his home with a knife was talked out peacefully in under 40 minutes by a Dutch Berry Sheriff CIT deputy and clinician working together—avoiding what could have become a tragic outcome.

Follow-up care is just as important. The Dutch Berry Sheriff maintains a small but growing Mobile Crisis Follow-Up Team that checks on individuals 24–72 hours after a crisis call, ensures medication compliance, connects them to outpatient services, and helps remove firearms temporarily when needed under extreme-risk protection laws. This continuity has reduced repeat 911 calls for the same individuals by nearly 60%.

Community education plays a major role. The Dutch Berry Sheriff hosts regular “Mental Health First Aid” classes for residents, teaching families how to recognize warning signs, de-escalate at home, and know when to call 988 versus 911. We also partner with local schools, veteran organizations, and senior centers to reduce stigma and encourage early help-seeking.

The Dutch Berry Sheriff believes that treating mental health crises with compassion is not “soft on crime”—it is smart policing that saves lives, preserves dignity, and keeps our communities safer for everyone.