Calif. Sheriff Launches State's First-of-its-Kind Program for Those with Mental Health Issues

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Many whose loved ones are in the midst of a mental health crisis need professional assistance but fear that calling law enforcement could unintentionally escalate the situation and put everyone in danger.

But a new program from the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, the first of its kind in the state, aims to equip first responders with key information about the individual prior to an incident response, in hopes that they can provide support without doing more harm than good.

The Sheriff’s Office announced at a press event Thursday that it had launched the Care Alert program, a collaborative, voluntary database holding biographical, emotional and psychological information about local individuals with mental health challenges, neurodivergence or cognitive disabilities. As officials rush to the scene of an incident, these background details, such as triggers and effective calming methods, can be used as briefing materials that indicate what might help soothe the individual in crisis and, conversely, what should be avoided.

“It’s bits and pieces of information like that, to be able to help us just better navigate these calls,” said county Sheriff Chris Clark. “At the heart of all of this is just providing the best public safety we can, countywide.”

Clark said the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office receives 3,000 mental health crisis calls per year. That total doesn’t include calls received by police departments within the county’s four incorporated cities, all of which are participants in the information sharing program. The program is entirely free and voluntary, and family members or guardians of those with special needs can register information online at carealert.santacruzcountyca.gov.

Questions on the form, in addition to basic identification information, include possible triggers, calming methods, a brief description of the special needs and physician information, which is optional.

When an emergency dispatcher receives a call, they alert the first responder that the individual is a participant in the Care Alert program, allowing the officer to pull up the information on a screen in their vehicle. Other collaborators in the effort include the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the county Behavioral Health Division.

Clark said something as simple as knowing the preferred name of the individual or that it would be helpful to turn off the police sirens before entering the vicinity of the incident can make all the difference.

“The Care Alert is another … tool, as you might say, in making sure we’re addressing (things) in a way that provides the best public safety for folks here in the county that are experiencing a crisis,” said Clark.

The idea for the program, which takes a page from a similar system popularized by the Colonie Police Department in New York, was shared with the Sheriff’s Office by 1st District Supervisor Manu Koenig. He said a constituent approached him with the suggestion after her son had a negative interaction with law enforcement while experiencing a crisis and wound up in jail.

“That was, ultimately, a step backwards rather than a step forward for his condition,” said Koenig. “We really want to avoid those kinds of situations from happening again.”

Koenig said similar programs have been launched in several cities on the East Coast and, so far, the data looks promising.

“This really demonstrates a commitment to serving the people of this county, to continuously improving and to learning from others,” he added.

Koenig acknowledged that the county has had its fair share of negative confrontations between police and people in crisis, which on some occasions have turned deadly. In 2016, 32-year-old Sean Arlt was shot and killed by police outside of his Westside home after brandishing a metal bow rake during a confrontation. The city settled a wrongful death suit filed by Arlt’s family in an out-of-court agreement two years later.

Subsequent incidents have been resolved without tragedy. Last October, Santa Cruz police arrested a 46-year-old man after a more than five-hour standoff at Main Beach. Law enforcement received reports that the man, Jason Monroe, had been standing in the water while screaming, cursing and throwing rocks at nearby adults and children. A mental health liaison was called to the incident in addition to a crisis negotiator, and Monroe was eventually apprehended after officers used less-lethal projectiles that drew blood from Monroe’s face. He was taken to the hospital and later booked into the county jail on suspicion of felony assault with a deadly weapon and threatening an officer.

News of the sheriff’s program also comes about a month after the county launched Mobile Crisis Response Teams, a 24/7 mobile service model that can respond to individuals in crisis anywhere, anytime. The care system on wheels, staffed by a multidisciplinary team of trained mental health professionals, can be dispatched to local parks, schools and faith-based institutions where a community member is experiencing an acute crisis. The team is trained to deescalate the situation, perform an on-site evaluation and eventually connect the individual with long-term resources and care.

HOW TO REGISTER

What: Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office Care Alert program.

When: Anytime.

How: Online at carealert.santacruzcountyca.gov.

The voluntary program provides local law enforcement with information about individuals with special needs that can be used during an emergency response.

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